Son of Hera
by whipsocold
Summary: Set after the Titan War, Percy is betrayed by his fellow campers and friends, and left heartbroken by his family. In his desperation, he runs away from camp and becomes the son of an unlikely goddess, before joining a surprising new group of demigods. Eventually, the fates force the hero to confront his past and make a choice that will decide the fate of Olympus. (AU)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This was just an idea for a story that came to my mind as I thought about a different approach to Percy's relation with the Romans and a twist different to the typical betrayal story.

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**Chapter 1.**

The forest was silent, leaves untouched by any breeze. The moon was not shining in the sky, ominously hovering above the unmoving trees. Suddenly, disrupting the still image of nature violently, a blur flashed through the trees. Pursuing the blur, roaring loudly, was a massive lion, one easily as large as a dumpster truck. Its golden skin was beautiful, lighting up its surroundings despite the notable absence of the moon.

The lion bounded nimbly after the blur, dodging various trunks and branches as it tried to catch up to its prey. Once again, the lion instinctively roared in excitement while leaping after the blur, its jaws wide enough to swallow a car whole. In a flash, the blur turned around and pulled out a ballpoint pen. Within seconds, the pen morphed into a stunning three foot long blade that glowed with power, its bronze color glowing in the darkness of the forest. Quick as a heartbeat, the blur lunged forward, sword outstretched, and pierced straight through the open mouth of the surprise lion.

The huge lion screamed in pain before exploding into golden dust that settled on the now unmoving blur. The slayer of the beast was actually a sixteen year old boy with dark hair and striking sea-green eyes that seemed to peer into one's very soul. He was handsome, with regal cheekbones and a well-shaped face. The boy was lean but muscled, and was clearly a fighter. He sported a dirtied, ripped orange shirt along with worn-out black shorts.

He looked as if he had been sleeping in the forest for days; despite his clear fitness, he seemed half-dead. His sea-green eyes, once filled with mirth and joy, now reflected bitter emptiness. It was as if he was emotionless. Pain was evident, covered up by the blank façade maintained even when alone.

The boy glanced at the ground where the lion disappeared into golden dust and chuckled at the sight of the lion's pelt remaining there. He leaned forward and picked up the spoil, contemplating it intensely. Painful memories flooded his mind of a stunning girl that resembled a Persian princess, complete with a silver circlet on her head. He just looked at his sword sadly, a tear dropping from the corner of his eye.

He sat down awkwardly, leaning against a tree and still clutched the lion's pelt. He sat and thought about how he, the once savior of the gods, the supposed hero of Olympus, had been reduced to this half-dead state, running around hopelessly, heartbroken, shattered, betrayed.

Anger flashed in his eyes as he recalled the brutal treatment, the betrayals. Gritting his teeth, the boy stood up and grabbed a branch angrily. With a simple flick of his wrist, he broke it off and gripped it tightly, hoping to cause himself pain, to escape the anguish.

Nothing went his way, however. His impenetrable skin prevented the simple branch from drawing blood. Sighing, the boy thought back to one of his old jokes, the one about the arrogant hero, Heracles. He had always sympathized slightly with Heracles under the reason that the infamous hero was more unlucky than himself. Now, however, the boy knew that was false.

Before settling down, an idea popped into the mind of the sixteen year old, quirking his lips upwards, revealing traces of the former mirth that once encompassed his attractive face. He broke the branch in half and placed each half on the ground. Then, he raised his hand in the direction of the two branches and clenched his fist. Slowly, inexorably, water began pulling out of the branch pieces. He smiled, a grim smile that did not reach his eyes. Grabbing the two dried sticks, he rubbed them together quickly, lighting a fire.

As the fire bloomed, the boy took the lion's pelt again and faced the fire. To his own surprise, he muttered a quick prayer to one he would have never thought to. _Queen Hera, for you, I sacrifice the pelt of the Nemean Lion. You were right about _her_ all those years ago, I apologize for my foolishness. _

The boy then threw the pelt in and watched it burn, a sweet aroma rising from the flaming fur. After a few moments, it disappeared completely. The boy then turned away and stumbled over to the tree, tired from running away from the Nemean Lion for so long. As he prepared to embrace sleep, someone cleared their throat. Shocked, the boy spun around, whipping out his sword. The sight that awaited him paralyzed him.

"My my, Perseus Jackson. The hero of Olympus. What are you doing here?"

The boy, Perseus, gulped before bowing low, "Lady Hera, I am honored."

Perseus tilted his neck slightly before looking back at the figure standing next to the fire, "You ask why I'm here?"

She nodded, a surprised expression still gracing her features. She stepped forward and sat down next to the boy, motioning to him to explain.

Perseus grimaced before nodding in acknowledgment, "It all started a couple weeks after the end of the Titan War. And, before I go on, I would much prefer if you called me Percy; Perseus makes me feel old."

To his surprise, Hera chuckled lightly, "Very well then Percy, I will honor your request. After all, you are the first demigod to ever sacrifice something to me, especially something of that magnitude."

Percy smirked, traces of his former more playful self shining through, "The pelt reminded me of Heracles. He hurt Zoe, which I disapprove of, and I knew the irony of his pelt being sacrificed to you would not be lost."

The goddess laughed once again, before nodding to him for him to deliver his story. Percy sighed but began his story…

_(Flashback)_

_Percy walked along the border of the camp on his way to the pine tree that had once been Thalia. A golden fleece glittered in the brilliant glare of the sun, and a large dragon lay peacefully around the tree. Percy smiled and strode towards the dragon, petting it on the head gently._

_"Hey there Peleus."_

_The weather was perfect, although in Camp Half-Blood, it always was. Apollo's chariot was flying high in the sky, bathing the Earth in comforting sunlight. Nothing could damper Percy's mood; it was simply too beautiful of a day. As he lost himself in his thoughts, a loud roar suddenly arose. Percy's senses immediately snapped him out of his dreams. The boy looked out past the border and saw a familiar figure in the distance, chasing what appeared to be a fifteen year old boy._

_Percy grinned, pulling out his trusted pen and uncapping it. Anaklusmos roared into life in his grasp, its celestial bronze emanating power. With a yell of defiance, he charged past the borders and straight towards the incoming figures. The boy was being chased by none other than Percy's old friend, the Minotaur. As Percy approached the Minotaur, he smiled menacingly at the monster._

_"Hey ground beef, how's it been? Was Tartarus a nice vacation spot?"_

_The monster roared angrily, clearly recognizing him. Percy shot a quick glance around to see where the boy went, and noticed him cowering before a tree. Sighing about wimpy new campers, he advanced the Minotaur. The beast's beady eyes narrowed, and it huffed several times, pawing the ground. Percy easily recognized the signs of it preparing to charge, just grinning cheekily at the preparing monster. The Minotaur snapped at the sight of his unimpressed opponent and charged, bellowing with rage._

_Slickly, the son of Poseidon twisted out of the way of the beast and brought Anaklusmos down swiftly, severing its arm, then flicked his wrist, all in a matter of seconds. The Minotaur came to a halt, as its arm lay on the ground behind tauntingly. It looked down at its chest and saw tremendous amount of blood coming from his wound when Percy flicked his wrist. Grinning sadistically, the boy stepped towards the Minotaur and stabbed it through the heart, causing it to explode into golden dust._

_Smiling at the bit of excitement, Percy looked back at the tree where he had last seen the scared boy. Briefly, he wondered why the teenager hadn't been claimed yet. However, he was nowhere to be seen. Whirling around wildly, Percy analyzed his surroundings for other possible adversaries when he felt a tingle on the back of his neck. He spun around and saw the boy swing a sword at his head. Before he could raise Anaklusmos, the blow struck him and caused him to stagger from the impact, protected from death by the blessing of the Styx._

_Percy roared in anger, "What the fuck are you doing?"_

_The boy backed away, fear evident on his face. The blessing automated his actions as Percy's hatred wrapped him up. His eyes glowed as a deadly sea-green light circled him. Quick as lightning, he lunged forward, feinting a slash to the right with his sword. When the boy raised his sword to deflect the blow, Percy smashed his left fist into his face, shattering the boy's nose and throwing him back several yards._

_Still angered, he walked over to the boy and kicked him hard in the chest, the sound of ribs cracking piercing the air. Glaring down at the bloody heap beneath him in pure hatred, Percy raised Anaklusmos and stabbed down into his shoulder, twisting it. It was as if the attempt on his life had unleashed a sadistic side of his personality kept down by his constant role as a leader, this side that had been held down for so long due to the knowledge that so many lives depended on him._

_The boy bleeding out on the ground was screaming in pain when suddenly a flash appeared behind Percy. Percy whirled around, sword at the ready, but recognized Poseidon. Poseidon glared at his son angrily, then held up his trident in Percy's direction, "What do you think you're doing? Why are you killing my son?"_

_Percy gasped in horror, "This piece of trash is my brother? He tried to kill me after I saved him from the Minotaur!"_

_"Don't lie Perseus," he spat. "Are you jealous that you aren't the only son of Poseidon?"_

_Shocked at seeing his father so enraged at him, Percy just shook his head in desperation, a tear threatening to form in his eyes._

_"Father, I swear –"_

_"No more lies! You will apologize to your brother once he is healed."_

_Percy backed away, then turned and ran in the direction of camp, shaking in disbelief at his father's reaction and at his own blood lust._

_Four months later (still flashback)_

_Percy smiled at the sight of camp; he was returning to his home for the first time in a month since he had gone on a minor quest in an effort to track down rogue demigods left over from the Titan War and offer them pardons in exchange for vows of loyalty to Olympus. He was eager to see his girlfriend Annabeth, who he finally began dating to his great joy immediately after the end of the war._

_He strode into camp confidently, before his smile turned sour as he remembered the new poison that had entered the camp. The boy who tried to kill him that first day, his brother, had quickly recovered and began manipulating campers with his heartfelt lies. According to the boy's tragic story, he slayed the Minotaur before Percy managed to get to them, and in his jealousy, had attacked him while his back was turned and proceeded to almost kill him. All the new campers brought in immediately after the war now regarded him in disgust, but Percy barely cared._

_What mattered to him was the fact that he still had his true friends, the older demigods who had stuck by him throughout the Titan War, and his lovely girlfriend._

_As Percy past the Big House, he peeked his head in and called out a greeting to Chiron. The ancient trainer of heroes replied in kind, albeit with a forced smile, one that Percy noticed but did not pay much attention to. He continued on his way to the Athena cabin when he caught sight of the Stolls._

_"Hey guys, how's it been? Any good new pranks?" Percy called out to the twins. The two immediately whirled around and glared at the son of Poseidon with a look of disgust._

_"Why do you even bother talking to us? Are we not 'pitifully weak and pathetic jokers'?"_

_Percy looked at them in confusion. Travis sneered, "Don't play dumb Percy. We know what you said."_

_With that, they walked away quickly. Shocked and slightly confused, Percy shrugged and decided to fix the misunderstanding later. He still needed to greet Annabeth and his other friends. As he walked past the cabins, he noticed that everyone seemed to be avoiding him like the plague. Newer campers were openly shooting him looks full of hatred, while older campers he called out greetings to occasionally just looked away._

_A flicker of suspicion entered Percy; he had an ominous feeling in his chest, a thoroughly bad omen about the future. Hesitantly, Percy opened the door of his cabin quietly. Nothing could've prepared him for what he saw. On his bed were two half-naked teenagers, a blonde girl on top of a black-haired boy. Percy recognized them instantly._

_"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?" he bellowed, rage unlike anything he had ever felt before seeping into his veins, taking control of his body. The two figures looked up, Annabeth with a guilty look on her face while the boy sported an incredibly smug face._

_"P-P-Percy? What are you doing here?" stammered Annabeth_

_"WHAT AM I DOING HERE? THIS IS MY CABIN!" Percy roared, his eyes beginning to glow with power, his aura magnifying in intensity. Suddenly, the sound of roaring winds pierced the air as the cabin was literally destroyed, its structure battered by a massive storm that had formed outside._

_"I-It's n-n-not what you think it is Percy," she cried out, trying to come forward and hug him. Percy let out a primal scream of rage and raised his arms to the sky, manipulating the wind to throw her back against the bed. The massive hurricane that had formed around him grew bigger, tearing the other cabins off their foundations as an immensely powerful earthquake tore through the grounds of the camp. Rain began pouring, battering the camp intensely, despite its immunity to the effects of natural weather._

_"NOT WHAT I THINK IT IS? I GO ON A QUEST FOR A MONTH, LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING MY GIRLFRIEND, BUT THE FIRST THING I SEE IS HER FUCKING MY PIECE OF SHIT BROTHER ON MY BED," he yelled through the howling storm. The trees of the forest began uprooting, and the cries of angry tree nymphs invaded the air. Percy then managed to hold his rage down for a moment, calming the storm. All the cabins that had been swirling in the air, half destroyed, all began dropping from the air onto the fearful campers. The once majestic camp lay in absolute ruin, the forest half destroyed, all the cabins obliterated, moaning and wounded campers bleeding out on the ground, hurt by the effects of the storm and the destroyed cabins._

_Percy just shook his head, closing his eyes, heartbreaking sobs tearing through him. He had somehow lost everything; ever since his brother had come to camp, everything he held dear to him had been torn apart. What had become his second home had clearly abandoned him; his father had betrayed him; no other gods even bothered contacting him anymore._

_Without another word to anyone, he turned and fled out of camp, sprinting at full speed through the devastation he had caused._

_Several days later (still flashback)_

_Percy stumbled through the streets of New York, his home town, in search of his mom's apartment. After fleeing the remains of the camp, he forged his path through the forest, borderline starving, as he trekked to New York._

_Now, he stood outside the apartment, but there was an unnatural stillness in the air. For some reason, the lights were all off in the apartment, despite it being dusk. Percy gripped the pen in his pocket and went to knock. With a gasp of panic, he noticed the door wasn't completely closed._

_Percy inhaled and exhaled before pushing it open, Anaklusmos out and ready in his hand. An eerie silence haunted him as Percy contemplated the still living room nervously, no traces of life in the room. Stealthily, he sneaked over to the door to his mother and stepfather's room. Gritting his teeth in determination, he pushed open that door as well and strode through, Anaklusmos in a guarded position. However, the sight in front of him shocked him to the bone._

_On their bed lay the cold and bloody bodies of Sally Jackson and Paul Blofis. Percy just gaped in shock, unable to accept what he was seeing. After a few moments of paralysis, he screamed in pain, unable to hold anything in anymore._

_The ground began shaking tremendously, with a force that was even more powerful than that of Poseidon. The building began collapsing as Percy walked over to the body of his mother, tears flowing down his face ceaselessly._

_"Why mom… WHY! I lost everything," he sobbed, hugging his dead mother tightly. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small piece of paper pinned to the crumbling walls with a bloody knife. Wiping away his tears, Percy stumbled over to the note and read it quickly:_

_-o-_

_How does it feel to be broken? They even begged for mercy, groveling at my feet, when I plunged the knife into their worthless bodies._

_My regards,_

_Mike_

_-o-_

_Percy blinked, absorbing the letter. This was the straw that broke the camel's back. His worthless brother, Mike, initiated the betrayal of the camp, of his father, and now killed the only family he had left in the world. His mother, the greatest woman in the world, dead at the hands of a pathetic piece of trash._

_Percy's eyes narrowed, flashing dangerously. The series of shocks over the past few days had stretched his nerves to new levels. As the roof began crumpling under the intense pressure of the earthquake he was still unconsciously powering, Percy pictured the ruins of Camp Half-Blood and pictured himself there, about to tear Mike apart._

_Suddenly, his body seemed to dissolve into the air. At the exact location where he had pictured himself, standing among the rubble of his former home, his body reformed into its normal, solid form. Percy fell to one knee, gasping for breath. For the first time, he had managed to mist travel, one of the most difficult powers of Poseidon to master. It often required decades of training, and very, very few of Poseidon's children had been able to even use it. Now, his pure anger had torn any barriers that once shielded the true potential of the angry demigod. As he recovered, the voice he despised called across the clearing, "Back already, worthless shit? Did my actions not drive you away? Did you find your pathetic parents?"_

_At the last question, Percy snapped. He straightened to his feet immediately, then turned towards the source of the voice. Pure hatred displayed in his eyes as he glared at his half-brother, who flinched. The other campers seemed to be hiding behind him, peering at Percy's standing form with fear and disgust. Percy grinned, a pure, sadistic smile adorning his lips. His once striking sea-green eyes were darkened with rage and an evil glint._

_Suddenly, Percy moved. With incredible speed, fast enough to leave after images, he charged Mike and shouldered him, sending him flying back a hundred yards, into the crowd of watching demigods. There were a few cracking sounds following that impact, and Mike screamed in pain. All his ribs had fractured, with one of them sticking out of his chest. His vertebrae had also fractured upon impact with the ground._

_Percy grinned again before sticking his hand out. Slowly, Mike was lifted into the air, screaming. Percy's grin widened as he began clenching his hand slowly, with Mike shrieking more than ever before. Then, his eyes hardened and he moved his hand down rapidly in the air. Mike followed the motion and was smashed into the ground again. He just groaned in pain on the ground, half conscious. The sadistic smile never left Percy's face as he began superheating Mike's blood. Once his anger and grief at his mother's death unlocked the full potential of his power, Percy could now control water anywhere, including in the blood of people._

_Mike began screaming again while the crowd of demigods just watched the brutal torture silently, terrified of the power Percy was showing. His aura had increased dramatically, as it now was greater than that of any minor god. The wicked smile he sported just further incited fear in the campers that had betrayed him. Percy kept superheating and cooling Mike's blood, relishing in the pain the demigod was experiencing._

_After almost ten minutes of this constant brutality, Chiron galloped forward and interposed himself between Percy and Mike._

_"Enough Percy, I understand you are angry but –"_

_Percy's grin disappeared and he clenched his fist again, and Mike just screamed. His hands began moving of their own accord, with his right hand moving involuntarily over to his left one. Without intending to, he began breaking his own fingers one by one. With each one, Mike shrieked in pain. While this occurred, Percy let his eyes fall on his former trainer._

_"Chiron, stay out of this. That piece of shit ruined my life, and not just because he took my home from me. No, what he did that caused him to deserve this and much worse, is the fact that he killed my parents in cold blood," Percy said emotionlessly. A look of horror passed over Chiron's face._

_"Exactly centaur; now do you understand my rage? Do you see why this bastard deserves every ounce of this pain?" he asked quietly, dangerously._

_"DO YOU?" Percy roared before snapping his fingers. Mike's arms and legs all bent at horrible angles, and the boy just whimpered on the ground, his vocal chords destroyed from all his screaming. He then walked over to Mike's shaking form on the ground and raised his foot, crushing his neck underfoot and finally ending the son of Poseidon's misery. Some of the demigods in the crowd yelled abuse at Percy at the sight of this. Grinning sadistically, the sixteen year old turned to the demigods who shouted at him and raised his hand, lifting them all off the ground using his control over their blood. Percy noticed all of them were new campers, so his unleashed dark personality felt no flickers of remorse. He simply waved his hand, tossing them into trees back and forth until every of their bodies were bloody. Smiling once more, he bowed mockingly to the crowd._

_"Listen campers, every single one of you," he said darkly. "If I ever see a Camp Half-Blood camper again, I will torture you and kill you the same way I did to your friends here today. You were warned. Fear me."_

_With that, he mist travelled away from the camp, covered in blood, into a forest, where he collapsed, absolutely drained from the ridiculous amount of energy he expended controlling the blood of all those demigods for so long._

_(Flashback End)_

"And so, Lady Hera, I ended up on the run for the past couple months. I've been wandering these forests alone. In fact, you're the first person I've spoken to since the incident," he finished hoarsely. Hera just looked at the broken man in front of her with utter shock on her face, trying to understand the past he just explained to her.

Percy saw her look of shock and hung his head sadly, "I understand, Lady Hera. You are probably horrified at the dark aspect that took over me then, and you probably want to kill me for the sheer power I possess now. I don't care anymore. Kill me if you want, I would embrace death."

Hera blinked, unable to comprehend what had happened to the once indomitable Savior of Olympus, the one all the campers had looked up to. Her motherly instincts took over and she did something that shocked both of them.

Hera hugged Percy tightly, whispering comforting words in his ear. At first, Percy stiffened, stunned at Hera's actions, but then he relaxed in her hug. Without intending to, the dam broke, and all the pain he had kept in himself since these events poured out, and he began crying uncontrollably onto Hera's shoulder. The Queen of the Gods didn't shy back, just gripped the now broken man and allowed him to release his sorrows.

They remained in this position for an hour until Percy's tears dried up at last. His once beautiful sea green eyes were reddened, and the pain in them was still evident, although they had lessened after this emotional outbreak. His gaze trained on Hera's and he raised an eyebrow questioningly,

"Lady Hera, why? I thought you hated demigods, you should hate me for what I've done and what I am."

Hera just shook her head, "No, Percy. You are one of a kind. You have done so much for us gods, but this is how that stupid brother of mine repays you. You are not to blame, Percy. That pathetic half-brother of yours is. He is the kind I despise. You have accomplished the impossible too many times. In fact, I think your actions were, albeit a bit over the top, the same as I would've done if I were in your shoes. I know that it can be unimaginably painful to lose all your friends, family, and loved one in quick succession, especially in this manner."

Percy flinched at the mention of Anna– no, _her_, and just lay back against the tree next to him. Hera scooted over and settled next to him, looking sadly at the broken man who was the greatest demigod of all time, trying to find a way to bring him out of this depression. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Percy, I have an idea. I will completely understand if you don't want to do this, but I can't bear seeing a hero like you reduced to this," she began. Percy turned his head and just observed her.

"There is another place you can go to, similar to that accursed camp, but different. What I'm about to tell you is one of the most sacred secrets of the gods. I'll need you to swear on the Styx never to tell anyone this unless it has already been revealed or I give you permission."

Percy hesitated, then nodded, "Okay, I swear on the Styx to your terms."

Hera allowed a small smile to come to her lips, "On the other side of the country, there is a camp named Camp Jupiter. It's near San Francisco. Now, to understand this, you need to comprehend that us gods have two aspects. When Greece fell and the Romans raised their empire and began worshipping us under different names, we developed a second aspect more attuned to the Romans. As such, we are generally more militaristic and justice-oriented. For example, your torture of that pitiful excuse for a human being would not have been frowned upon in this camp. Camp Jupiter is where we send the demigods born to the gods' Roman aspects."

Percy blinked, absorbing the information. He then asked, "Is this the main reason why we're always warned away from the Bay Area?"

"This is indeed the biggest reason. Every times Greeks and Romans have come together, they have clashed. In fact, their last big confrontation incited the American Civil War. That was when we swore the oath never to reveal the existence of one to the other again."

Percy nodded, "Then why have you told me this?"

"Because, Percy, you are the greatest hero and demigod of all time. Despite what those idiotic campers have done, you deserve better. I want to offer this as a new home to you, since now that I know of your fate, I refuse to see you wander around these woods alone anymore. You need to heal in presence of people. The added benefit is that you will not have to come into contact with Camp Half-Blood again," Hera explained.

"Lady Hera, there is one problem. After what my father – former father – did to me, I cannot enter this Roman camp as his son. I will not," Percy said.

Hera smiled, "That's why I have my following proposition. I know what you have lost, and I have always wanted a son as great as you. I want to adopt you, Percy. Will you be my son? I know I cannot fill Sally's role, but I hope I can do my best. I don't want to see this kind of grief from you."

Percy just blinked in shock. Hera, the hater of demigods, the supposed most bitter and cruel goddess, was offering to adopt him. She had been incredibly sympathetic to him, and was willing to be his mother! He contemplated the offer for a few moments before nodding, "Lady Hera, I cannot imagine a greater honor. I would love to be your son."

The goddess smiled widely, "Very well Percy. I, Hera, Queen of the Gods, choose to adopt Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon."

She motioned towards Percy, who understood instantly, "I, Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, choose to be adopted by Lady Hera, Queen of the Gods."

A flash of light suddenly surrounded Percy for a few moments before dissipating, leaving the boy panting on his knees. Slowly, he stood up. Hera looked at him and noticed that some of his features had changed, and that his aura had increased even more. Around his stunning sea green eyes, who had regained some of their sparkle, were bands of brown. His cheekbones had heightened slightly, giving him an air of royalty.

Hera smiled at her new son and hugged him. Percy's pained eyes brightened and a smile finally began creeping its way onto his face again as he hugged her back. Hera pulled back and looked at him, "Don't call me Lady Hera or any type of formality anymore. Call me mom or mother."

Percy grinned, "Sure thing, mom. I can't express how happy this makes me, to have someone that cares about me again."

Hera smiled at her new son, "Of course. Now, I will take you to the Roman camp. Remember, never reveal anything about Camp Half-Blood."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Don't worry."

Before Hera could flash Percy to the West coast, the flames of the fire Percy had made suddenly glowed intensely, and a young girl stepped out of them, accompanied by a young woman. Percy recognized both rapidly: one was his favorite goddess Hestia, and the other was the mother of _her_, Athena. When he saw her, he tensed and gripped his pen. Hestia spoke up quickly, "Peace, Perseus, neither of us are here to harm you."

Hera stood up and faced her sister and Athena, "You better not."

Hestia just smiled at Hera, a knowing glint in her eyes, "I know what you did Hera, and it was a noble act. As the goddess of family, I felt the sheer pain that tore Percy's being apart a couple months ago, when his family was destroyed. For the first time, hope was completely extinguished in a demigod."

All of the people just stared at Hestia in shock as she continued grimly, "That's why I wasn't able to find you Percy, despite my greatest efforts. However, tonight, I felt a flicker in the hearth. Hope had returned to the greatest demigod, and he had a family again."

Athena just looked at the ground sadly, unable to meet Percy's eyes. Hestia smiled warmly at Percy, "You cannot believe how glad I am that I found you again. I hoped that you would not die of your hopelessness, and tonight has brought you back from the brink. I know of Hera's plan to find you a new home, and before you go, I would like to give you my blessing and make you my champion."

Percy gaped at the goddess, "Me? Greatest demigod? I do not deserve your blessing, Lady Hestia! Have you seen what I've done?"

Athena rolled her eyes, "Percy, despite what our relations have been in the past, I have seen how great a man you are. You truly are the greatest demigod of all time, and I simply cannot understand how my daughter, who proclaims herself to be my smartest daughter ever, would ever want to leave someone like you."

Percy just stood there, shocked at the praise he was receiving, especially from the goddess that used to despise him. He then turned back to Hestia and bowed, "It would be my honor for me to receive your blessing and become your champion, Lady Hestia."

Hestia giggled happily, waving away the bow, "I don't want you to treat me so formally, especially now that you're going to be my champion."

She raised her hands towards Percy, and her hands lit on fire. Instantly, a warm glow passed over the demigod, calming him tremendously. After a few minutes, the glow wore off, and he felt like he was back to normal. Percy looked at Hestia in the eye, bowing, "Thank you Hestia."

"You now have power over fire, whether it be combat or healing, and you can calm other people with your touch. In addition, you can conjure any home-cooked food thanks to my blessing."

Percy nodded in acknowledgment as Hestia stepped back and nodded to Athena, who moved towards me.

"Perseus, I know I haven't treated you well in the past. I also know that what my daughter did was wrong, and that caused me to lose a lot of respect for her. As a form of forgiveness, I would like you to accept my blessing as well."

Percy nodded, "Okay Lady Athena."

"Despite my hatred for those Romans due to what they have done for me, I will make you my champion too."

She raised her hands in Percy's direction, similar to Hestia. A gray glow surrounded Percy for a few minutes, before it wore off.

"My blessing increases your brain processes dramatically, decreasing your ADHD and dyslexia off the battlefield to insignificant levels. In addition, you can now strategize and develop battle plans on the fly, analyzing any possible surroundings during a time of war. This will aid you in the future," explained Athena.

Percy bowed courteously to her as well, "Thank you Athena. I'd like to note that your daughter's actions are not your fault at all; she is the one who made her choice."

Athena looked at Percy curiously, with newfound respect shining in her eyes. Hestia motioned to Athena and smiled at Hera, "We must go now, back to Olympus. We will contact you again once you meet with the Romans."

Hera nodded at the two goddesses as they flashed away before turning back to Percy. As a result of these multiple blessings, he now had obtained traits from his patrons and mother. His former sea green eyes had changed drastically. Now, brown and gray clashed in his iris along with moving sea green specks, with a sea green band running around his pupil and iris. Most notable, however, was that his eyes were like flames of brown and gray, clearly a side effect of Hestia's blessing.

"Son, you're probably curious what powers you gained from me."

Percy nodded, smiling inwardly at hearing son again.

"My domain is often ignored, but you have a few unique gifts. First, your mind has become a lot stronger. You can shield your mind from anyone who tries to read your mind, manipulate you, or incapacitate you. You can also in turn look at people's minds and thoughts, similar to a god, but this power is limited to mortals and demigods. Any very strong demigod and any god will most often remain unaffected. In addition, you can change your features without using the Mist in the minds of other people. This technique actually roots from slight manipulation of the minds of the people who see your disguised form, as your power forces their eyes to see you differently. This will help you especially when you join Camp Jupiter or if you encounter any gods that hold grudges against you."

Percy's eyes widened; he hadn't expected Hera to be so powerful. His new mother chuckled at his stunned expression.

"Percy, did you really expect one of the children of Kronos and Rhea to be powerless? However, you'll need some training before you can use these powers fully. I can train you with my powers and ask Hestia to aid you with the powers she gifted you through her blessing for a few months before we send you to Camp Jupiter," Hera said.

Percy nodded, "That sounds reasonable. What would be the point of these abilities without being able to use them?"

Hera smiled and grabbed his shoulder, flashing him away from the desolate fire that was the last trace of the broken, shattered Percy she had seen initially in the clearing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2.**

_(Six months later)_

The pack of hellhounds growled at the hooded figure in unison, before leaping towards him. The figure merely held his hand out as flames suddenly wrapped around it, licking his fingers and lighting up the darkness, temporarily halting the hellhounds' advance. A smirk played across the lips of the hooded figure as he inhaled the calming scent of the flames. He held his other hand out and lit that one on fire as well. Then, he charged the pack that was shying from the intense light. The flames on his hands formed balls of fire, which he began throwing at the hellhounds. With roars of pain, they began dissolving into golden dust as they were hit by the fireballs. The rest of the pack quickly surrounded him, growling angrily. The figure merely waved his hand, and a wall of fire erupted around him. Quick as a flash, he made a pushing motion with his hand, and the wall of fire immediately spread out in a circular manner, frying the rest of the hellhounds easily.

A clapping sound came from behind him as the hooded figure spun around and bowed. The nine-year old girl smiled at her kneeling champion, "Rise Perseus, I thought I told you not to treat me with these ridiculous formalities.

Percy stood up and removed his hood, mischievousness dancing in his flaming gray and brown eyes, smirking at his patron Hestia, "I will when you stop calling me Perseus."

Hestia shook her head in amusement, "Clever… Anyways, you've garnered a significant amount of control over my powers, which means you should be ready to go to Camp Jupiter. Hera should come down any moment now."

As if on cue, a flash of light appeared behind Hestia, and Percy glanced away to avoid seeing her divine form. He looked back and saw Hera walk over to the pair, smiling widely, "Good job Percy. Considering the ease with which you tore apart that rather large group of hellhounds, I wouldn't be surprised if you could defeat an Olympian, especially considering your other abilities."

Percy blushed at the praise, "Mom, please… I'm just a demigod!"

"Not just a demigod, you are the son of one of the Big Three, champion of two of the most powerful goddesses in Olympus, and my son. When you aren't shielding your aura, when you are in a battle, it easily rivals that of gods like the pathetic wine god," Hera said. Percy just shook his head. Hera grinned, "You're really too modest for your own good. Have you practiced concealing your features with the power I told you about?"

Percy nodded, then closed his eyes in concentration. A few moments later, he opened them and glanced questioningly at the two goddesses. Hera had a proud smile on her face, and Hestia waved her hand, summoning a mirror out of thin air. Percy looked at his new reflection and grinned; it turned out the way he had pictured it. He sported short blond hair cut in a crew cut and had rich brown eyes, similar to Hera's. His regal cheekbones that came about due to his adoption remained, and he had willed a slight stylized beard to adorn his face.

Hera nodded approvingly, "Good, it looks completely different from what you were before, and it doesn't flicker like it did before. You completely mastered it. You're ready to join the Roman camp."

She froze for a second, then a flash of light surrounded her. When it dissipated, a woman that looked very similar to Hera appeared. It seemed as if Hera's traits had become sterner and graver, with an even more majestic air surrounding her. Her chocolate brown hair, once woven in a braid, had shortened and was now slightly curled, reaching past her shoulders. Her stern gaze softened a bit as she looked at him. Behind Percy, Hestia underwent a similar transformation.

"This is my Roman aspect, Juno. And that," Juno explained, pointing at Hestia's Roman form, "is Vesta, Hestia's Roman aspect."

Percy nodded in acknowledgment; Athena had given him a couple lessons on the Romans and what happened to the various Greek gods and their counterpart's aspects. She explained her utter hatred for the Romans due to the degradation of her role to Minerva, a rather irrelevant goddess for the Romans. For that reason, she decided against accompanying her champion to Camp Jupiter, unwilling to change into Minerva.

Juno placed her hand on Percy's shoulder and flashed them away.

**_(Olympus)_**

"What is it, Poseidon?" Zeus asked. It had been nine months since he had declared the order to close Olympus, ceasing all contact with the mortal world. A month after that order, Poseidon was shocked by an event that he had spoken to no one about yet, and now he was once again contemplating the ground blankly.

Poseidon just ignored Zeus, eyes glazed over as he stared into nothing. Zeus frowned, then turned to the bickering Olympians, slamming his master bolt into the ground, instantly shutting everyone up. Zeus smiled, "Now that that is over with, let's get to the main point of this meeting."

He looked around the throne room, then noticed Hera's absence suddenly.

"Wait! Where is my wife?"

The other gods shrugged, not caring about the usually cold queen. Zeus' eyes narrowed, "I will return to this subject. Anyways, we must discuss the new Great Prophecy."

His form flickered, light enveloping him, until he reappeared. Jupiter had taken Zeus' place. A few of the other gods' forms also flickered and changed aspects.

"As you may know, the earth has been stirring again following the end of the Titan War. I believed that the best decision was to close Olympus so that the earth will go back to sleep without a disturbance. It has, however, still been difficult to control our two aspects," Jupiter said.

The other gods nodded, bored at the information they already knew.

"Anyways, I have called this meeting –"

"Enough," Poseidon said quietly. "We've been cooped up here for nine months. Nine months! You are foolish enough to believe closing Olympus will return _her_ to sleep. I've been forced to remain here when my favored son was killed, without being able to protect him!"

Everyone looked at Poseidon in shock, even though Jupiter was angry at his interruption. Artemis finally spoke up, "Percy is dead? How are we going to be able to defeat _her_ without him?"

Poseidon scoffed, to everyone's surprise, "Percy? My favored son? No, he tried to kill his own brother out of jealousy the first day he arrived at camp. He is no longer my son."

All the gods' jaws dropped at Poseidon disowning his once favorite son, Percy Jackson, Hero of Olympus. Artemis frowned, "Jealousy? That doesn't sound like Percy at all."

Apollo nodded in agreement, "Sis is right, Perce is never jealous of anyone. He doesn't care for power and fame and all that, despite what I may think about it."

Poseidon slammed his trident on the ground, silencing the twins, "No! I saw him about to kill his son, and he would have if it were not for my intervention."

Mars moved in his throne nervously, "There's probably a good reason for it. I might not like the punk when I'm Ares, but I have to give credit where credit is due."

Surprise once again sparked among the assembled gods, before most nodded in approval. Poseidon glared at them, "My true favored son, Mike, was killed! On the day of that massive disturbance as well! While we're locked up here, something big might be happening!"

Jupiter thought for a moment before he replied, "The massive disturbance is indeed a problem we have to find out about. I'm surprised you broke your oath twice, I thought you were loyal to that mortal woman."

Before Poseidon could retort, Juno flashed into her throne. Jupiter immediately glared at her, "Where were you Juno? I called a council meeting!"

Juno scoffed, "We've been stuck here for forever, what possible new news could you have?"

"Poseidon finally revealed what had him depressed for the past eight months: the death of his favorite son, a demigod named Mike. We were also discussing the massive disturbance that occurred at the same time," Jupiter explained. Juno sent a gaze full of hate at Poseidon when she heard Mike was his favored son, a gaze that did not go unnoticed by Jupiter. The King of the Gods, however, passed it off as her being angry at the broken oath, due to her domain of marriage. Athena, who had uncharacteristically silent in this meeting, chuckled loudly as she saw the hatred thrown at the God of the Sea.

Jupiter's eyes fell on his daughter, "Athena? Is there something you've figured out?"

Athena shifted uncomfortably, "Uh… no actually. I just found it enjoyable when that sea spawn over there got chewed out."

Juno's eyes narrowed, "Poseidon, you are a fool. What happened to Perseus Jackson, Hero of Olympus? Where is he now?"

"Why should I care? He tried to kill his own family," Poseidon muttered. Juno's formed shimmered into Hera before she laughed loudly.

"Brother," she spat angrily. "I'm sure he did more than try."

Poseidon immediately straightened and looked at her, "Are you implying that Percy killed him anyways, despite my warnings?"

Hera laughed coldly, "I am more than implying Poseidon. Jupiter, enough with this closed Olympus nonsense. It's time to visit Camp Half-Blood. I received a distress message from them, which was why I was gone."

All the gods looked at each other in horror, before everyone changed into their Greek forms. Zeus stood up and shouted, "Stop this! I have ordered Olympus to be closed! We cannot risk _her_ awakening!"

"Once again, you refuse to accept fighting a threat. Soon, we will be in even greater trouble than the Titan War, and this time we don't have Percy Jackson to bail us out," Hera hissed at her husband.

"What do you mean?" asked Artemis.

"My dear niece, she means that he is dead as well," a voice spoke from by the fire. The gods looked over and saw Hestia, in her twenty-eight year old form, her eyes flaming. "He was betrayed by his father, who refused to trust his most loyal son. He was betrayed by that camp, who bought every one of that despicable sea spawn Mike's lies. He was betrayed by that daughter of Athena, who is unworthy of the title Architect of Olympus."

None of the gods had ever seen Hestia this enraged, although Athena and Hera allowed small smiles to play across their lips, as they knew exactly what had happened.

"That disturbance? That was Percy. On that day, hope was extinguished from the one who once kept it alive in the time of great peril, during the Titan War. Now he is dead. Go, visit that camp. See what Poseidon's ignorance has wrought," Hestia spat, before turning back into her child form and tending to the fire.

Zeus looked at the Olympian Council and steeled his nerves, "Very well. We will go to Camp Half-Blood and see what this entire problem is about."

_**(During council meeting, at Camp Jupiter)**_

Two teenagers dressed in Roman armor stood at the entrance of a tunnel, tersely looking at the surrounding forest, anticipating some sort of threat. As they stood watch, a flash appeared in front of them, causing both to shield their eyes. When the glare finally dissipated, the two looked back at the spot only to double over in shock. In front of them stood a beautiful, but stern-looking woman, another stunning woman with eyes that seemed to be flames, and a sixteen-year old boy with blonde hair and warm brown eyes.

One sentry summed up his courage and stepped forward challengingly, "Who are you? Identify yourselves, are you enemies of Rome?"

The other sentry instantly realized who the two women were, and tugged on the armor of her companion, whispering quickly to him, "Those two women are the goddesses Juno and Vesta. Bow in respect to them!"

The first sentry gasped in horror and kneeled quickly, "My apologies Lady Juno, Lady Vesta. I did not recognize you; it has been a long time since the gods have visited us. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

The boy accompanying the two goddesses chuckled, laughter sparkling in his brown eyes. Vesta stepped forward, "We are bringing this demigod to your camp. Allow us passage."

The girl sentry nodded, "Of course, Lady Vesta. Follow me."

She gestured towards the entrance of the tunnel. Juno walked over, "It's alright, we know the way. Remain here and guard the camp with your life."

She blinked and then bowed in assent to the goddess, who motioned to Vesta and the boy. They strode into the tunnel, leaving the sentries behind. After a short walk, they passed through the tunnel and came upon a rather large bowl-shaped valley, several miles wide. In the distance, a series of clumped white buildings lay next to a lake. From the lake, a winding river came and looped around another group of buildings, these shaped in the form of a military camp. Walls of earth surrounded it, giving it the air of a fortress. In the distance, near the initial white buildings, a few majestic buildings that looked like temples towered.

Percy recognized some of the typical California landmarks, such as Mount Diablo, which he had passed on his quest to save Artemis a couple years back. His face hardened as he remembered the other person he had come to save, something that disgusted him now. Even further in the distance, Percy could somehow make out Mount Tam, where the greatest huntress ever met her fate. The event still brought some tears to his eyes. Shaking away his memories, which had lost their old incisive pain since he had been adopted by Hera, he saw his patron and adopted mother walk towards the river that roared near them.

Juno looked at Percy, a conflicted look on her face. Noticing this, Percy asked, "Mom? What's wrong? Did something go wrong?"

"Percy, this river is the Little Tiber. Since the mark of Achilles is a Greek curse, if you enter this water, it will be washed away, since you are entering Roman territory. If you wish to keep it, you will have to use your powers from being a son of the Sea God. No one can teleport across it until they have crossed it naturally once," Juno explained apologetically.

Percy's eyes narrowed, "Then I will use them. Just because I have broken my ties with him doesn't mean I need to allow this potential benefit to go to waste. I will not allow my selfishness affect my decision. After this though, I will have to keep my birth inheritance a secret."

Vesta nodded approvingly, "That is indeed wise. Learn to let go of your hatred; this environment will help heal you."

Juno glanced at the fortress, where guards in watchtowers were looking at them curiously, "Percy, I will shield you from their sight temporarily; quickly lift the river and pass under it. There are many people to block, so it will have to be fast."

Percy nodded, "Okay, tell me when to go."

Juno concentrated, then signaled to Percy, "Go."

Instantly, Percy felt the tug in his gut and willed the river raise majestically. Without intending to, he had lifted the entire length of the river, from the tunnel it exited in the distance to the lake it originated in. He cursed and ran through the empty riverbed rapidly, releasing his control over the water once he had reached the other side.

Juno and Vesta flashed across the river, with Juno giving her son a disapproving glare, "Was that necessary? You forced me to exert far more energy in order to block everything from their sight."

Percy grinned mischievously, "An accident; I haven't really touched up on my powers since I unlocked my full potential when they died."

A sad look crossed his face, but Juno hugged him, "Don't worry Percy, they are in a better place. Hestia made sure Hades placed them in Elysium."

Percy looked at her questioningly, and she blinked, "I completely forgot; Hades knows about this plan as well. When you killed Mike, he saw his deeds and judged him personally, placing him in one of the worst cells in the Fields of Punishment. He has met his dues. Now, let's introduce you to these Romans, shall we?"

As Juno had been comforting Percy, a group of Romans had strode out of the safety of the fortress walls, led by two kids in purple robes. One of them was a stunning sixteen-year old girl, with wavy black hair lying over one of her shoulders. The other was a blonde boy with piercing blue eyes. His face bore remarkable similarities to Heracles, instantly distinguishing him as a son of Ze – Jupiter. Percy frowned. He would have to remember not to slip up again.

Next to him, the two goddesses glowed, their forms shimmering for a bit, before both grew to a height of seven feet, sporting their traditional Roman clothes. The group of Romans advancing towards them gaped for a few seconds before kneeling. The girl with the decorated purple robes sporting many gold medals spoke first, "Lady Juno. Lady Vesta."

Juno smiled, waving at the demigods to stand. The son of Jupiter stepped forward with the girl – Percy recognized them as being the praetors, according to Athena – and asked Juno, "Lady Juno, what can we do for the Queen of the Heavens?"

Juno smirked at Percy, who grinned at the excessive formalities of the Romans. _You might have trouble with the strict authority here, Percy_, she said in his mind.

"I have brought a new recruit for the legion! His name is Percy Jackson, and he is my son. He comes with the recommendation of myself and my sister Vesta! There is no need to consult the auguries; I can testify for the worth of my son," Juno declared to the praetors. The crowd began muttering amongst themselves before the girl spoke up, "Lady Juno, without intending any disrespect, how can this boy be your son? I thought you never had demigods."

Juno smirked again, "No disrespect?"

The girl paled a bit, "O-of course n –"

She was interrupted by Percy's loud laughter. They all looked at him quizzically, but he flashed a brilliant smile, "She adopted me. Don't worry, it isn't a sensitive subject to me."

Vesta looked at him questioningly, then suddenly stiffened. _Juno, we must go; Jupiter has been holding a council meeting for a while, and it seems Poseidon finally revealed the death of that spawn of his_, she said in Juno's mind. Said goddess looked at her, surprised, but nodded. During this interchange, the Romans just looked at Percy curiously, trying to understand what kind of person he was.

Juno spoke in his mind_, Percy, there's a meeting on Olympus I ditched, but it seems to have escalated. Poseidon is finally trying to get Jupiter to rescind the closed Olympus order. _Percy scowled deeply, surprising the Romans, who didn't understand what was going on. The son of Hera turned and hugged his mother, then hugged his patron. Vesta winked at him, shimmering into her Greek form momentarily before flashing away, followed quickly by Juno. As they left, Hestia's voice echoed in his mind, _I would wait to reveal your role as my champion. There are so many possibilities!_ Percy could detect the laughter in those words, and smiled. He then turned to the two praetors.

"Well, what's up?"

* * *

Percy walked through the main road alongside the two praetors, who had introduced themselves. The girl, who looked oddly familiar, as if a vestige from his past, was called Reyna, and her colleague, the blond son of Jupiter, was named Jason Grace.

He was Thalia's brother. Percy had understood instantly when his last name was spoken, and it surprised him tremendously. He tried not to let his emotions show on his face, but it was difficult. He hadn't seen Thalia since the end of the Titan War, as she had been busy with the hunters. She might have visited camp and believed all the lies told about him, or maybe she would trust him. After all, Thalia was one of the most headstrong people Percy had ever met. He felt a slight twinge of regret at not having contacted her for so long.

He was shaken out of his musings by the praetors announcing their arrivial at the principia. Athena had explained the various roles and status in Camp Jupiter, and he knew this was the essential headquarters of the praetors. Percy entered the place with high expectations, as the exterior looked very grand, composed of pure white marble, adorned with a purple banner with SPQR written on it.

The interior did not disappoint. The ceiling sported a mosaic of Romulus and Remus along with Lupa, their adopted mother, as Athena had taught him. Along the back wall stood a display of banners and wooden poles studded with bronze medals that resembled military symbols. The sides were covered in velvet, and the floor was made of the same stunning marble the outside was constructed of. They approached the large table in the middle of the room, and the two praetors sat in the two seats, leaving Percy standing.

"So," Jason began. "What's your story? How did you end up adopted by Juno, of all gods?"

Percy smiled, "I did some stuff for the gods back in the day, but shit went down the drain. Juno found me and pitied me so she told me there was a camp for people like me that I could come to. I accepted the offer so now I'm here."

Reyna nodded, "He isn't lying; Aurum and Argentum didn't react at all."

Percy noticed the two dogs relaxed next to her seat for the first time, but they did not look at him maliciously. After all, he did tell the truth, albeit kind of vaguely. Jason nodded in approval, "Very well. Percy right? So how it normally works is we'd have the augur check some stuff to see if you can be accepted into the legion, but you were brought here by Juno herself, with her recommendation, which means that part of the process is unnecessary. However, since you are a rather old recruit, you will have to undergo a rare test to have your cohort chosen."

Percy nodded absentmindedly; Athena had already outlined the process, and he was prepared for the fighting that was to occur. Reyna picked up where Jason left off, "Essentially, you'll have to fight the centurions of all the cohorts, as well as fight some of the more dangerous monsters we've captured. If you can pass all these threats, something that has never been accomplished before, you will have to fight us, the praetors. Anyways, depending on where you end up in your challenge, the centurions will then ask you to join their cohorts based on how well you did."

A grin appeared on Percy's face at these words: it had been ages since he fought a demigod, and he knew he could defeat everyone. Reyna looked at his grin questioningly, dismissing it as his arrogance.

"When can we get started?" Percy asked eagerly. Jason looked surprised but replied, "We can do this immediately, if you want."

Percy smiled, "Let's do this."

Jason frowned at the confidence the newbie was showing; it disconcerted him visibly. He did look like a fighter, but his demigod aura was extremely faint, which he thought probably arose from his birth parent being a weak minor god. Shaking away his thoughts, he glanced over at Reyna, a curious look on his face. She nodded imperceptibly, then turned to Percy.

"Okay Percy, we will have this test at the coliseum. It's located in New Rome, the cluster of buildings about a mile away. Follow us," she said.

The praetors stood from their chairs and left the principia, followed by Percy, who was anticipating the fighting tremendously.

* * *

After facing the annoying god of boundaries, a weakling named Terminus, and having Anaklusmos taken from him until he entered the coliseum, Percy finally found himself at the entrance of the coliseum. He could hear roaring from inside the massive replica of the original Roman structure as the crowd riled itself up for the coming competitions. Percy allowed himself a smile as he thought about the fact that he had dampened his aura tremendously. It did not radiate as intensely as it once did, especially after he had received those blessings. The praetors probably thought he was in well over his head. He smirked at the thought of their faces after his display.

"And now! Welcome the newest recruit to the legion, here for his challenge! Percy Jackson, son of Juno!" he heard the announcer call from inside the coliseum. Percy strode forward through the tunnel, appearing in the brilliant sunlight of the afternoon. He waved to the massive crowd of legionnaires and retired legionnaires as they roared in approval of the coming fighting. His disguised brown eyes sparkled with amusement as he gazed at the praetor's box, seeing Jason and Reyna's surprised faces. He had decided to forgo armor and was only armed with Anaklusmos, still a pen in his pocket. Percy was wearing a black tank that easily showed his tan skin and developed muscles, along with khaki shorts that seemed so casual one would think he was going to the beach.

He smiled and signaled his readiness to the praetors, who shook themselves out of their surprise to motion to the announcer to begin the challenge.

"The first opponent of the new recruit! We have Dakota, centurion of the Fifth Cohort!" the announcer called. The crowd booed at Dakota, who stumbled out into the arena, clearly unstable. Percy cocked an eyebrow; the boy looked like a spawn of Bacchus and was clearly drunk. He just stood there as Dakota regained his senses and grasped his gladius. Letting out a bellow, the centurion charged Percy, who waited until the last moment to raise his right hand. With lightning fast reflexes, he grabbed the blade of the gladius with his bare hand, unscratched thanks to the mark of Achilles. The crowd silenced, looking at this in shock. Dakota began pressing hard, trying to force the blade down, but Percy just grinned as if he was barely exerting himself. Seeing Dakota tire from the constant pressure, Percy suddenly twisted away and released the blade, sending the unfortunate centurion stumbling past him. Using his momentum, Percy spun and aimed a hard punch at Dakota's head, sending him flying to the ground, unconscious.

The crowd looked at him, stunned at the ease Percy dispatched Dakota, without even using a weapon. The announcer shook himself out of his shock and yelled, "The second opponent! Gwen, centurion of the Fifth Cohort!"

A girl entered the arena in front of Percy, with a much more guarded pose. She had clearly decided not to underestimate Percy after his display in the last battle. Percy just grinned and suddenly released the dampening of his aura. It magnified in intensity in a few seconds, rivaling that of a weaker Olympian. The pure power his aura exuded forced Gwen to the ground instantly, stunned at the outburst. As quick as it happened, Percy willed his aura to dissipate again, in order to not alert the crowd, who only saw Gwen just collapse randomly.

Percy strode over to Gwen and winked, "Am I that intimidating?"

He grabbed her dropped sword and held it to her neck, asking, "Yield?"

Gwen gritted her teeth, her Roman pride wounded terribly. She had felt the sheer power, but it was gone now, and she couldn't trace where it had gone.

"Yes…" she finally muttered.

The praetors looked at Percy with newfound respect, but still unsure about how to judge him seeing as he hadn't wielded a weapon against anyone yet.

Suddenly, one of the awaiting centurions, one of the Third Cohort, yelled, "A lucky fluke! Just because you beat two pathetic Fifth Cohort centurions doesn't mean the rest of us will fall to you!"

The Fourth and Second Cohort centurions nodded their approval, while the First Cohort centurions just looked at Percy curiously. They could see he was clearly an incredibly skilled fighter.

Percy grinned sadistically at the daring centurion, "Well centurions, if you all think so, how about all of you fight me at the same time?"

The crowd just looked on in shock, as well as the praetors. The announcer choked, "W–What?"

Percy just looked at him, smiling, "You heard me. My next challenge will be me fighting these six overconfident centurions."

The announcer scoffed before shouting, "Very well! For the next challenge, the new recruit shall fight the centurions of the Fourth, Third, and Second Cohorts at the same time!"

The blustering centurions stepped into the arena, eyeing Percy warily. One of the Second Cohort centurions, a guy named Larry, finally mustered up the courage to speak, "Where is your weapon?"

Percy just grinned, "Why? Do you think I need to exert myself that much for you?"

Larry glared at him angrily before raising his gladius, "Feel my wrath!"

The other centurions returned his call and immediately charged Percy. The first centurion that arrived swung his sword wildly at Percy, who easily ducked, jabbing a punch into the centurion and knocking him out. Whirling around quickly, he kicked another incoming centurion and sent him flying backwards. The four other centurions circled him more warily, occasionally trying to stab in. Percy just danced around their blades, before sidestepping a final slash from Larry and entering the inside of his guard. Quick as a flash, he grabbed the Second Cohort centurion and threw him at another centurion, knocking both aside. Seeing this, the two remaining centurions yelled in rage and attacked him, swords held high. Percy merely ran at them, before twisting deftly between the two. As he passed them, he stuck his foot and tripped one while punching the other one in the face, breaking his nose instantly. Walking over to the tripped centurion, Percy clapped his hands around the centurion's temples and knocked him out instantly.

He stepped back and contemplated the arena, with the unconscious bodies of the centurions surrounding him. The crowd had gone completely silent during this unprecedented display of hand-to-hand combat skill. Percy just smiled, looking at the two First Cohort centurions invitingly.

Jason and Reyna just stared at the scene below them; six of the legion's supposedly best warriors were disposed of by this new recruit in a matter of minutes, and he wasn't even using a weapon. For the first time, fear flickered within the praetors as they contemplated the son of Juno.

Brushing away his fear, the male centurion of the First Cohort stepped into the arena, contemplating Percy intensely. Percy easily saw the fear and respect in the centurion's eyes, and he decided to grant him some respect in turn. He reached into his pocket and grasped Anaklusmos in its pen form, uncapping it. The crowd gasped as his pen suddenly transformed into a stunning three foot long blade. Reyna recognized it instantly. She had seen it when she had been a maid on Circe's island many years before, although its previous wielder looked completely different from the boy in front of him.

The centurion challenging Percy just circled him, trying to find an opening to begin the fight. The crowd began booing at the lack of fighting.

Finally, Percy decided to move first. He leaped towards the centurion, feinting a stab at his stomach. Immediately, the centurion moved his blade down to deflect Anaklusmos, before ducking under Percy's left fist aimed at his face. Quickly, he stabbed at Percy's chest, but the son of Hera easily twisted out of the way of the blade, and grabbed it with his left hand, stilling the centurion's arms. He immediately slashed Anaklusmos down onto the centurion's wrist, hitting it hard with the flat of his blade. The impact forced him to drop the sword, and he grasped his numbed wrist. Percy just smiled and swung his sword again, this time hitting the side of his blade at the centurion's head, knocking him out.

He turned and beckoned to the final centurion, a beautiful girl whose eyes seemed to glitter with different colors. She looked at him warily as she pulled out dual blades, each around two feet long. Percy smiled and held Anaklusmos out in prepared position, anticipating the coming fight. Without warning, the girl charged at him, slashing at his legs with her two blades. Percy stepped back, slightly surprised at the speed she displayed, avoiding the blows. He swung his own sword experimentally at her, but she quickly raised one of her blades and diverted his blow, dropping the blade. Taking advantage of his momentum shift, she slid behind him and punched him hard into his stomach. The crowd leaned forward in anticipation but just saw Percy brushing himself off as the girl screamed and gripped her hand, the bones of her fingers having shattered upon impact.

Everyone just looked at Percy in shock as he grinned, before walking over to the girl, his sword out. He held his sword at the girl's neck, looking at her with amusement sparkling in his eyes. He had been impressed by her speed, and she might have given him a real challenge if it weren't for his invulnerability.

"Yield?" he asked. The girl just glared at him defiantly, "Put down your sword now and step away."

Percy instantly detected strong charmspeak laced in her words, and his eyes glowed with power. Thanks to his powers due to Hera, his mind could not be manipulated easily at all, and the charmspeak didn't affect him. Percy just smiled tauntingly, "Charmspeak huh? I'd try to get more powerful before trying something like that."

The girl's eyes widened as she saw he was completely unaffected, then she frowned, "I yield."

The centurion turned away and walked towards the medics in order to heal her hand. The praetors frowned at the scene before them; no boy was able to resist that charmspeak, or be able to be completely ignore such a powerful punch. Reyna was also trying to pinpoint exactly how that sword came into Percy's possession.

The announcer was about to explain the next challenge when Reyna stood up, her hand held out for silence. Her imposing figure looked down at the demigod in the arena, who just smiled back at her cheekily.

"Percy Jackson, you have certainly been impressive. However, can you defeat an army of monsters?" asked Reyna, her face impassive.

The crowd began muttering among themselves in shock. Percy just nodded uncaringly, "Sounds pretty easy."

Reyna's eyes narrowed angrily at his cocky attitude, "Very well then."

She looked over to the guards on the side of the coliseum, standing in front of a massive gate that seemed to delve down under the coliseum and signaled to them before turning back to the crowd.

"You shall fight all the monsters we have captured over the past year. Be warned, some of the monsters are legendary, but we are ready to kill them if necessary."

Percy smiled, "Bring it on."

The guards immediately left the arena, moving up to the crowd. Reyna pressed a button on her seat in the praetor's box as Jason looked over to her worriedly.

"I don't think this is a good idea… He may be strong, but how can he take on all those monsters?" he whispered. Reyna just grinned, "He needs to be put in his place. His cocky attitude is irritating me. Don't worry, I have archers at the ready all over the coliseum in case things go out of hand."

Jason nodded reluctantly before turning his attention back to the arena. Percy was contemplating the opening gate, wondering intently what monsters would come out. To his surprise and delight, the first monster to come charging out was his old friend the Minotaur. Percy's eyes widened, "You?! How did they capture you? Have you really become that weak and irrelevant, ground beef?"

The Minotaur's eyes blazed in fury as it recognized the faint smell and voice of Percy, its killer twice over. The beast's eyes glazed over as rage took over it, and it charged Percy. Percy just dodged its assault before somehow leaping onto its back, and gripping its neck in a chokehold. The Minotaur flailed around in anger, trying to shake off Percy. Behind it, Percy saw a pack of hellhounds charging out of the gates. He immediately whipped out Anaklusmos, slicing the Minotaur's neck then stabbing it through the heart. As the beast dissolved into dust, Percy charged towards the pack of hellhounds, his mind calculating plans rapidly.

He began slashing and hacking through the group of hellhounds, fighting like a demon. Golden dust exploded wherever he was, as Anaklusmos became a literal arc of destruction. Its celestial bronze blade tore through the monsters easily, and within a few minutes, the entire pack was a pile of golden dust on the ground.

Suddenly, he felt a tingle on the back of his neck, signaling danger from the back. He spun to the side, just in time to see a series of arrows fly past him. Percy's eyes narrowed as he saw a few dracanae firing black arrows at him rapidly. He began weaving through the cloud of arrows, the few that got close enough to him getting diverted slightly by his powers over the water in the air, but not enough to draw suspicion. Once he got close enough, he extended his hand toward the dracanae, palm facing them.

They immediately took advantage of Percy's pause to fire another cloud of arrows. However, Percy's hand was suddenly engulfed in flames. Quick as lightning, a stream of fire shot from his palm, burning all the arrows to crisp before destroying all the dracanae that had been firing at Percy in a matter of seconds.

Soon, more dracanae and hellhounds came out of the gates, but Percy rapidly summoned a wall of fire and pushed it, burning the monsters and killing them all.

Jason's jaw dropped at the display of power from the demigod, wielding the fire majestically. The crowd had become eerily silent again, and Reyna had a look of tremendous irritation on her face.

"Enough!" she shouted. "You have defeated the army of monsters, but can you defeat the praetors?"

Jason looked at her in shock, "What are you doing?"

"Listen, Jason, as much as I hate to admit it, this kid is too strong for either of us to fight alone. You've got the powers I've got the weapon skills; together we should be able to take him. I refuse to be the first praetor to ever lose to a newbie," she hissed.

Jason shook his head, "Facing him together just shows even greater weakness; we must fight him alone."

Reyna frowned, but saw the logic in his words.

"Very well," Reyna said. She turned to the crowd and Percy again, "Percy Jackson, you shall fight me now!"

Percy grinned, "Okay!"

The praetor grit her teeth but strode down into the arena and took up position opposite Percy. His brown eyes seemed to glow with power, and Reyna felt an aura of power she had only experienced once before; when Mars had visited the camp a few years previously. Immediately, she looked around, trying to find the Olympian inciting this aura.

Percy chuckled, "Looking for a god? I'm right here!"

He lunged forward, his celestial bronze sword a mere blur and as he began attacking Reyna, who could barely keep up. She began getting pushed back, despite her best efforts at blocking his swings. Percy's incredible speed overwhelmed her, and his sword began cutting her legs and arms, blood dripping out of her shallow wounds. However, Reyna's pride refuse to fall, and the praetor felt a sudden surge of strength. Parrying another of Percy's blows, she pushed her sword back at him, her newfound strength forcing the son of Hera back. Percy's eyes widened in surprise, before traces of respect appeared in them.

He smiled, "I'm impressed, praetor Reyna."

Reyna grit her teeth and pushed him back further, before attempting a disarming move she had learned years previously. Percy's eyes widened in shock as he realized Reyna was pulling the same move Luke had taught him so many years ago. Anticipating the inevitable disarming, as Reyna's blade moved down the side of Anaklusmos, he dropped the blade and twisted past the now stumbling Reyna, elbowing her in the back and knocking her to the ground. She immediately moved to stand, but Percy placed his foot on her back and pressed lightly, forcing her to remain on the ground.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Yield?"

Reyna clenched her fists but conceded, "I yield."

Percy immediately stepped back and offered her his hand, pulling her to her feet. He smiled at the praetor, "You're a great fighter Reyna, I enjoyed that. I want to apologize for the whole cocky act I'm pulling; I'm just trying to make an impression on the legion. This isn't what I normally am."

Reyna looked at him in shock, disbelief written all over her face. She regained her composure rapidly and said, "In that case, Percy, I enjoyed that too. I've never seen someone so quick and strong; where have you been all these years."

Percy just laughed, "Here and there, helping out the gods, you know… Typical demigod stuff. We can continue this conversation after, though. I still need to fight Jason, right?"

Reyna smiled genuinely, "That sounds fair."

Raising her voice, she called to the crowd, "Percy Jackson shall now fight Jason Grace, son of Jupiter!"

The crowd roared in approval, shaken out of their surprise at Reyna's defeat. Jason stood proudly from his seat in the praetor's box and walked down into the arena, before taking position opposite Percy.

Jason eyed him carefully, then raised his hand to the sky. A massive lightning bolt shot down towards Percy, but he created a massive wall of fire that absorbed the impact easily. Jason looked at him in shock but charged, whipping out his gold coin and flipping it into its gladius form. Percy met his blow with Anaklusmos and the two started exchanging hits.

Reyna frowned; she could tell Percy was holding back for some reason, and she didn't like it at all. Jason noticed the lower pace of his blows as well, and when their blades met, he hissed, "Why are you holding back?"

Percy smirked, "Do you want me to go all out?"

"It's my Roman honor, of course," Jason replied. Percy smirked again before upping his pace tenfold. He began making various cuts across Jason's body as the praetor struggled to keep up with the pure skill he displayed. Blood dripped down incessantly from Jason's wounds, but the Roman wouldn't give up.

Percy decided to end it and disarmed Jason using Luke's old move. He held the sword to Jason's neck and asked, "Yield?"

Jason smirked, "No."

A blast of lightning smashed into Percy, sending him flying back. The crowd looked at him in shock; it was the first time Percy had actually taken a hit since the beginning of the challenges. The sixteen-year old in question stood up shakily, leaving Jason's mouth gaping. That impact should have broken several of his bones, but he seemed to be unscratched. A bizarre glint seemed to appear in Percy's brown eyes that incited fear in Jason.

Percy was angered by the blow Jason used; he should've been more attentive. However, this definitely meant Percy would no longer hold back. His hands lit on fire, flames dancing around his skin. He glared at Jason, who seemed to be attempting to swallow his fear, then began shooting balls of fire at the son of Jupiter, who tried dodging them. One of the fireballs caught him on the shoulder and sent him flying backwards, shoulder singed.

Percy suddenly disappeared in a column of flames, just to reappear in front of Jason. He narrowed his eyes, holding a ball of fire in his left hand and Anaklusmos pointing at the son of Jupiter's neck.

"Yield now?" Percy asked. Jason sighed and accepted his defeat. Satisfied, Percy stepped back and helped the demigod up, capping his sword. Reyna and Jason turned to the crowd, and Reyna shouted, "Today, Percy Jackson, son of Juno, took on and defeated every single challenge that came his way!"

The crowd roared, clearly having loved the spectacle. Reyna allowed it to go on for a while before yelling again, "Does anyone deem him unfit to join the legion?"

The crowd bellowed, "No!"

Reyna smiled at Percy, "The legion accepts Percy Jackson, son of Juno! Now, which cohort would you like to join?"

All the healing centurions that watched the last couple rounds between Percy and the praetors looked at Percy hopefully, even those who insulted him initially. Percy noticed the girl from earlier just looking at him with amusement sparkling in her kaleidoscopic eyes. He grinned and made his decision, "I'll join the First Cohort."

The legionnaires of the First Cohort yelled in excitement, and the male centurion nodded his approval while the girl flashed him a smile. The other cohorts looked disappointed but not surprised at all.

* * *

Percy stood awaiting in the middle of the Senate House, with the senators and ghosts looking at him suspiciously while Reyna and Jason grinned at him. A skinny blonde kid walked up to Percy; Reyna explained to him that he was their augur, but was tremendously annoying. His name was Octavian.

Octavian strode up to the center next to me and looked at the senators and the ghosts, "We have gathered here today to welcome a new legionnaire!"

The senate half-heartedly cheered for him, suspicious of the powers he displayed in the coliseum. Octavian waved his hand over my arm, "Percy Jackson, son of Juno –"

A flash suddenly interrupted Octavian's speech, and everyone shielded their eyes. When the light disappeared, three women stood in the center of the house, next to Percy. Percy smiled as he recognized Juno, Vesta, and to his surprise, Minerva. The senate looked on in shock, and Octavian was picking himself off the ground. The praetors looked down curiously as Juno stepped forward, "Percy Jackson, son of Juno, champion of Vesta and champion of Minerva, first year of service!"

The Roman symbols burned onto Percy's arm: a peacock for Juno, a small torch for Vesta, an owl head for Minerva, SPQR, and a single stripe. The imprint burned Percy, but he had long since managed to ignore that kind of pain.

The three goddesses disappeared in a flash of light as everyone had begun kneeling to them, a smirk appearing on Percy's face. Jason noticed his amusement and stood up straight, calling, "Percy Jackson, son of Juno, champion of Vesta and Minerva, welcome to the Twelfth Legion!"

Percy smiled at the praetor; he had found a new home.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3.**

**_(Camp Half-Blood after council meeting)_**

The remains of the devastation wrought by Percy had remained, even after eight months. The hurricane he had summoned in his rage absolutely tore apart the camp, and the earthquake accompanying it destroyed its foundations. However, the campers had been steadily rebuilding it from the ground up, with the Hephaestus cabin notably taking advantage of the situation to upgrade a lot of the new cabins with their improved technology.

However, today, the campers were being attacked by a large army of monsters, who had banded together for the first time since the end of the Titan War over a year earlier. The campers were completely unprepared and untrained, since the entire focus of the camp had gone into reconstruction, and the monsters would tear them apart once they passed the weakened camp boundaries.

In their despair, they prayed to Hestia, the forgotten goddess, effectively praying for hope. Despite the wrongs they had done to Percy, Hestia decided to allow the council to hear this anyways.

Chiron galloped around, barking orders to the demigods, many of whom were new campers, and, following the Titan War, had hardly trained. They were nowhere near the well-oiled machine of forty campers that held Olympus against the forces of Kronos. _Without Percy_, thought Chiron bitterly, _these campers are leaderless; hopeless on the battlefield_.

The campers had arrayed themselves behind Thalia's pine tree, sporting quickly constructed or worn out armor, with the veterans of the Titan War in front of the rest.

Clarisse frowned, leading her Ares cabinmates at the front of their small army. She had been gone on a lengthy quest to take out a group of drakons during the time the camp was turned against Percy. Despite their initial encounter, Clarisse had grown to respect the son of Poseidon due to his leadership and legendary battle skills. This led to Clarisse generally alienating herself with the newer campers, who had begun hating Percy outright, ignoring all he had done to save Olympus for four years.

She motioned to her Ares campers to prepare themselves; the hellhounds and dracanae leading the monster army's charge were ceaselessly flinging themselves at the magical barrier, straining it to the point of breaking.

Suddenly, just before they would break through, twelve flashes of light appeared in front of the campers, who instantly shielded their eyes. The front of the monster army, however, was not so lucky; they were disintegrated immediately. When Clarisse opened her eyes, she saw, for the first time in nine months, since Olympus went silent, the gods. The Olympian council stood facing the monster army, mouths gaping at the gathered forces.

At the sight of the gods, the campers began cheering; many of the newer ones had believed the gods had abandoned them, but this sight rejuvenated them. Clarisse roared, rallying her troops. Everyone was revitalized by this – as they believed – show of support, and charged.

A bloody fight later, golden dust and unmoving demigods lay strewn across the crest of the hill. The rest of the monster army had disappeared once the majority of them had been killed. The campers suffered numerous losses, but the victory was sweet for them, especially considering their state of affairs.

Following the battle, Zeus called for a meeting with the cabin leaders. The requested demigods met with the Olympian council a distance away from the rebuilding camp.

Zeus began, "Chiron, as you know, we closed Olympus for the past nine months, in an effort to quiet _her_."

Muttering emerged among the cabin councilors, while Chiron nodded worriedly.

"Silence!" Zeus thundered, smashing his master bolt on the ground. "As I was saying, we closed Olympus. This tactic failed. Through the recommendations of my brother." He spat this word out. "and some of the other members of the council, I have decided to lift this restriction. We must now speak about what happened at camp. What was that massive disturbance we sensed?"

"Lord Zeus," Annabeth said. "It was that idiot Percy Jackson! He just went mad and unleashed his powers, obliterating the camp for no reason! Then he came back a few days later, randomly, and tortured then killed my boyfriend Mike, and killed a group of innocent campers immediately afterwards, though how, I do not know."

"No reason?" spat Hera. "I knew I disliked you the first time I met you, but now you're going to new levels of low: lying to the Olympian council."

Zeus raised his eyebrows and glanced at Apollo, who nodded, confirming Hera's words. Zeus fixed his glare on Annabeth, "Daughter of Athena! You may be the architect of Olympus, but that does not give you the right to lie to the council!"

Annabeth shook slightly before looking at Athena, "Mother? How can you let Hera speak to me like this?"

Athena's face hardened, "You are a fool Annabeth. To think you think you're my smartest demigod child ever; you might be the biggest fool I've seen."

The council, apart from Hera, just looked at Athena in shock. Annabeth began sobbing loudly, before running quickly away from the group. Hera smiled, _This is nothing more than she deserves for hurting my son_. The other cabin councilors looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Uh…" Clarisse spoke. "What was Prissy's reason for killing Mike and those demigods? I mean I understand his anger initially, but…"

Chiron, who had until this moment been silent, choked, "When Percy came back to camp, he was somehow controlling Mike's movement. He forced him to torture himself, and told me that the reason for this was because Mike killed Sally and her husband."

The council gasped in horror; Poseidon had a stunned look on his face.

"Sally – Sally's dead?"

Hera nodded, "Why else would Percy come back to this camp after what they did to him? They bought every lie your spawn Mike spewed out of his foul mouth; even his so-called friends–" At this she glared harshly at the cabin councilors, who looked down guiltily. "– and now look what happened to the Hero of Olympus."

Poseidon was gripping his chair, knuckles pure white, as he absorbed these words, "Y–you mean I–I caused–"

"Yes, _brother,_" Hera growled. "You, his bitch 'girlfriend', and this entire camp betrayed him and destroyed the greatest demigod this world had ever seen, and probably will ever see."

Zeus, who had contemplated these unveilings quietly until now, unlike his normal self, suddenly glanced suspiciously at his wife, "Hera? Why do you sound like you… care for him?"

Hera exchanged a meaningful look with Athena before staring straight into Zeus' eyes, "He was the only demigod I have ever come to respect. He apologized for his rudeness towards me when he encountered me in the labyrinth with that girl. He proved that even a demigod can swallow his pride, while you, Poseidon, all of you gods, just bloat yourselves on your ignorance, condemning true people to unwarranted fates. I've had enough of this poisonous environment."

Hera glared at the demigods and then at those on the council that had betrayed or disrespected Percy, then flashed out. Travis whispered to Katie, "Percy apologizing? Not sure if the world is ending or what…"

Katie just flinched away, a few tears in her eyes, "After all he did for us, we threw him away like trash. I can't believe it… Don't joke now Travis; be serious for once."

The gods looked at themselves, some showing genuine regret on their faces while others like Dionysus and Ares just smiled inwardly. One by one, they left the meeting, leaving the senior campers alone. Clarisse stood from her position and stared at the other cabin councilors, "I don't understand. I leave for a few months and you guys buy some shit obviously made up by a pussy who just arrived at camp over the words of the savior of fucking Olympus? You drive him away from camp? To his _death_? What's happened here? I can hardly recognize you."

She turned away, keeping her face emotionless as she gazed over the ruins of the camp, before looking back at the shocked and silent cabin leaders, "You should all be ashamed. Prissy, as much as I might hate to say it, was a true hero. You don't get more than one of those a millennia."

Shaking her head, the Ares cabin leader walked away from the guilty-looking veterans, all of whom regretted their interaction with Percy deeply. Pushing the thought away, they all began moving towards camp, focusing their minds on rebuilding their home.

_Percy POV_

It had been four weeks since Percy had been accepted with flying colors into the legion. His incredible fighting skills and godly backing had catapulted him into a high position in camp instantly. Percy was easily considered the best fighter in the legion, and he was often considered the second in command to the centurions of the First Cohort.

Percy had immediately befriended the two centurions, Isaac and Piper. Isaac was a nineteen-year old son of Mercury who had lived in Camp Jupiter for almost his entire life, abandoned here by his uncle. He was a decent swordsman, quick and agile, but his most noticeable trait the way he could inspire people. Isaac was essentially the main centurion of the First Cohort, and most of the camp admired the veteran warrior.

Piper, on the other hand, was a fifteen year old daughter of Venus, something her charmspeak had given away during the fight. She had arrived here after the murder of her dad, a famous actor, a couple years previously. Her father never knew he had met Venus, but as a descendant of the Cherokee, had believed a great deal in myths. Piper had subsequently easily adapted to the lifestyle in Camp Jupiter, using her agility and speed to become a very good wielder of dual blades, a tough skill to master. Despite her parentage, her abilities had allowed her to gain significant respect in the legion.

Percy generally hung around with Isaac and Piper, training often with them, and occasionally just relaxing. Both centurions admired the son of Hera's power and skill. Percy, surprisingly, also became close to Jason and Reyna. Both praetors got over their initial displeasure at his attitude after they realized it was all an act, and Jason and Percy quickly became very close friends. The son of Jupiter was the only one that could come close to Percy when he wielded his powers as a champion of Hestia in a fight.

Reyna and Percy became sparring partners, both being exquisite swordsmen. In fact, the only reason Percy had managed to easily dispose of her was due to his knowledge of the move, one Reyna thought was only hers. Reyna occasionally inquired as to the origin of his sword, Anaklusmos, but Percy always said it was "a gift from a dead friend", with no better hints.

This morning, Percy woke up with a bad feeling in his gut. He had a dreamless night, but there was a malevolent air around the camp that he could sense. Piper burst into his room, "Percy! There's an emergency senate meeting called, apparently Octavian finally saw something in his torn up teddy bears."

Percy snorted, "Fine, I'll wake up… You know Pipes, I have a bad feeling about today. What did Octavian see?"

Piper grinned, "Apparently the gods have ordered a quest. Obviously, the senate wouldn't decide anything without their new greatest fighter."

Percy groaned, "I should've held back if I'd known the trouble being good would cause me."

Ever since his display, Percy had essentially become another mainstay at senate meetings, asked to attend in order to give his advice, considering he was such a powerful demigod. Piper giggled, "I doubt you could've bottled it up forever… You're too good for that."

Percy blushed as he slipped out of bed. Piper's face immediately went crimson while Percy just raised an eyebrow quizzically. He then noticed where she was looking at: his perfectly lean, muscled body, shirtless due to his habit of sleeping.

"Uh… Sorry… I– I just got distracted…" Piper stammered. Percy flashed her a radiant smile.

"Don't worry I have that effect on a lot of people," he joked. "Now, unless you don't want to see me in my boxers too, stay while I change."

Piper blushed again before she backed out of the room. Percy chuckled and threw on his typical hoodie and soccer pants before leaving his quarters along with Piper.

After arguing endlessly with Terminus, the god of borders, yet again, Percy and Piper finally arrived at the senate house.

Octavian was perched at the speaker's position, looking at the two latecomers coldly, "If it isn't Mr. Powerful and his girlfriend, late despite the call from the gods."

Piper blushed while Percy just chuckled, "Hey Doc – is it okay if I call you Doc? – anyways yeah early morning meetings aren't my strong suit. I'd recommend holding them off to the afternoon next time, I'm busy in the mornings." He winked.

Octavian's faced reddened, clearly flustered. "Percy, even you can't deny an order from the gods!" he yelled.

Percy raised his eyebrow skeptically, "Go on then."

Piper settled in her seat next to Isaac at the First Cohort centurion section while Percy sat next to the praetors in the seat reserved for him. Octavian glared at him again before turning to the whole senate, "As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted; the gods have issued a quest! Camp Jupiter must be prepared for any attacks, and the gods have shown me, through the auguries, a location where there is a large concentration of imperial gold weaponry!"

The senate nodded, pleased at this bolstering of supplies in a time of hardship, as the Titan War's after-effects had not yet ended economically for the camp. Octavian grinned before turning to the First Cohort centurions, "The gods have declared: the quest leader must be either Isaac or Piper."

Isaac whispered something in Piper's ear that Percy couldn't catch, but he noticed a small flicker of excitement cross her now emotionless face. The two centurions turned to Octavian and Piper said, "I accept the quest."

Octavian nodded, pleased, "Very well. You may choose your two companions."

Piper instantly answered, "I'll take Percy, if he wants."

The senate turned to Percy, who just shrugged, nodding imperceptibly. The daughter of Venus thought for another moment before speaking again, "And I'll take Arianne, one of my legionnaires."

The senate nodded in approval while Octavian spoke, "The quest members have been chosen! What shall they be given as supplies?"

The senate began discussing between themselves when suddenly a column of fire flashed in the center of the senate house. After it dissipated, the bored face of Percy Jackson looked over the Romans.

"We don't need any supplies bar some nectar and ambrosia. Octavian, tell me about the location. This should be easy."

Octavian nodded as the senate's muttering ceased. Reyna waved her hand and a Roman entered the house with three packs, each with considerable amount of the godly food. Percy nodded his thanks to the Roman servant as Piper walked over to him. The duo left the building, motioning to Octavian to follow them.

They walked over to the more luxurious barracks of the First Cohort while Octavian described the forest in which he had seen the stash of weapons. When they arrived at the barracks, Piper knocked on Arianne's door, calling, "Hey Arianne! I have a quest, do you want to come?"

_Piper POV_

Piper had known Arianne since she joined Camp Jupiter; the two had met after Piper's dad was killed a couple years back. Arianne was effectively Piper's best friend, and Piper had confided in her of her developing feelings for Percy.

Arianne's door opened and she looked at Piper, and then a small smile played across her lips as she saw Percy. Percy was leaning casually against the wall, his warm brown eyes observing her and Arianne. Piper felt a bit of heat rising to her face before she turned back to her best friend, "So, Arianne, we have this mission apparently from the gods, to go retrieve some random weaponry. Should be pretty quick. Percy's the last member of the quest."

Arianne nodded, "That sounds great, I haven't left Camp Jupiter in ages."

Arianne was a fourteen year old daughter of Apollo, and was very skilled with a bow. She was in fact one of the best archers in the legion, which allowed her, despite the Romans' typical disgust at archery, to become rather notable in the First Cohort.

The three left the barracks and headed to the Little Tiber, at which Piper noticed Percy stopping at. She looked at him curiously but Percy just disappeared in a flash of flames, just to reappear on the other side. Piper laughed, "Afraid of a bath, almighty Percy Jackson?"

Percy tensed before chuckling, "I don't like water; I have bad memories of it."

Arianne grinned at their easygoing chatting and gave her two thumbs up behind Percy's back as they entered the Caldecott Tunnel.

Once they had exited the magical boundaries of the camp, Percy turned to Piper and Arianne.

"Okay Piper, Arianne; since I know the location of the weapons, I can just teleport us there using my power so we can speed this up a bunch."

The two girls nodded, and Percy held out his hand. Piper grabbed his right hand, flushing as she felt his warm skin. Arianne wagged her eyebrows at her suggestively while Percy, completely oblivious, made them disappear in a column of fire.

They reappeared in a darker, more ominous forest. Percy paused for a second, "Something's wrong. I sense a group of monsters that shouldn't be here." He looked around. "And there are no weapons here."

Percy then cursed, "It's a trap!"

Just as he said those words, arrows began flying down towards them. Piper saw Percy raise a wall of flames in front of them, incinerating the flock of projectiles sailing down at them. Piper pulled out her dual blades and adjusted her stance, glancing at Arianne to see her gripping her bow in a similar position.

This was supposed to be a simple in and out mission, but now they were stuck under what seemed an army of monsters. Percy was still manipulating his wall of fire, occasionally firing streams of fire and incinerating a few dracanae. Arianne and Piper had their weapons at the ready, covered behind the wall. Arianne fired a few arrows, all of them meeting their mark.

"Nice shots Arianne," Percy commented, flashing her a small grin. Arianne blushed despite herself, then suddenly gasped and collapsed. Piper looked at her in shock, which quickly turned into horror when she saw the bloody knife impaled through her heart. Piper felt like sobbing; her best friend was just killed in front of her eyes.

Percy looked over then froze, before cursing, "Not another one I couldn't protect!"

Piper looked at him, tears gathered in her eyes, as the fires suddenly wrapped around him. Winds began to pick up, and it began raining hard. The earth began shaking violently, which seemed to Piper like a ridiculously powerful earthquake. The monsters cowering in the cover of the trees began running away, but Piper saw Percy floating in the air, his eyes glowing with pure power, as the winds and fire encircled him at a high pace.

Suddenly, Piper stumbled to her knees as she felt a massive aura suddenly appear. Piper looked around wildly for a god, before she realized all the power, everything she felt was from Percy, the being currently hanging in the middle of his own hurricane while a terrifying earthquake was tearing apart the ground. Percy's hand suddenly shot out, and all the monsters slowly rose into the air, screaming for mercy.

A sadistic grin appeared on Percy's normally playful lips as Piper looked on in horror. He began clenching his fist, watching as the blood flow stopped in every single monster. The hurricane grew larger, almost lifting up Piper, when Percy's other hand shot out and grabbed her, pulling her safe to his side.

Despite the godly aura emanating from Percy, despite the terrifying powers he was displaying, Piper felt safe and secure next to him, wrapped in a one-armed hug.

Meanwhile, Percy continued to kill the monsters, all of them dissolving into golden dust as their stopped blood flow prevented them from surviving. He did not cease his display of power triggered by his rage until every single monster lay dead as golden dust in the winds, having been blown away by the powerful hurricane he had produced.

Once Percy managed to calm down the storm, Piper looked up at him, a curious look on her eyes despite her reddened sclera, "Who are you, really?"

Percy sighed and laid her down as he sat next to her. He glanced over at Arianne's unmoving body, and a stifled sob wracked his body. Piper looked up at him and hugged her friend, seeing his distress over Arianne's death. He kept muttering, "Why always me?"

After a few minutes of Percy and Piper pouring their emotions out over the death of Arianne, Piper stared at Percy intensely, "Please answer my question. I won't tell anyone else if you don't want to."

Percy met her eyes before looking down again, "If you really want to know, swear it on the Styx that you will never tell anyone unless I give permission or it is revealed."

"I swear by the Styx to abide by those terms," Piper said.

Percy sighed and looked away, "My name is really Percy Jackson, but I was born as a son of Poseidon–"

"You mean Neptune?" interjected Piper.

"No," Percy said. "This is the greatest secret kept by the gods: there is another camp, on the other side of the country, where Greek demigods live. I used to live there…before I was betrayed by everyone I thought I could trust."

He paused and looked down again, drowning in the memories. Piper kept quiet, allowing Percy time to regain his composure. A few moments later, he ran his hands through his messy hair and glanced at her.

"Sorry," Percy said. "It's just… After what I did for them… It's still hard to grasp."

Piper hugged him again, trying to give him comfort. Percy gave her a shaky smile and said, "Anyways, as I was saying, I went there. There was a prophecy, regarding the Titan War. I'm sure you know about the Titan War."

Piper nodded in acknowledgment.

"Essentially the prophecy said I was going to be one to make the decision to save or destroy Olympus. From the year I went to camp I was sent out repeatedly on missions, first to save thunder shit's lightning bolt to prevent a war, then to find the Golden Fleece, then to save Artemis and hold up the sky, then travel through the labyrinth, find Daedalus, fight a battle, and then somehow hold off Kronos' massive forces from taking Olympus with a group of forty campers, a hundred nature spirits, and twenty hunters. As you can see, my life has been never lacked danger of some kind."

Piper looked at him, horror and awe etched on her face as she took in the many achievements made by Percy. Percy grinned at her expression, "It really isn't as dramatic as you'd think, apart from facing Kronos."

Piper chuckled, distracted from her mourning of their friend, "Only you could say something like that Perce."

Percy immediately frowned. Piper noticed his change of expression, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just my cousin used to call me that. I haven't seen in him since the battle for Olympus," he said. "I failed to save a lot of people in that war; many of my closest friends died…including the one who gifted me with my sword. Now – now I feel like it's my fault again. Somehow my appearance in this camp caused this."

Piper slapped him, forgetting the sheer power displayed by him earlier. Percy stared at her in shock.

"Don't dare blame yourself for this!" she shouted. "This trap…"

A look of pure horror crossed her face.

"Percy! I know what happened here! Octavian! He sent us on this trap to get us killed!"

Percy's eyes widened, "That's it! He forced one of the centurions of the First Cohort to go, knowing either you or Isaac would pick me, which meant he got both a centurion out of the way and the surefire replacement out of the way."

Piper's face hardened, her eyes settled on an icy blue color with an angry glint in her eyes. Percy concealed his aura again, his eyes losing their glow. He motioned to Piper, "Enough talking. Now we know what happened here. Grab Arianne; it's time for revenge."

Piper nodded and picked up her friend, gently pulling out the knife and tossing it away into the forest, before walking back over to Percy, whose face was a mask of pure hatred. He placed his hand on her shoulder and they disappeared into a column of fire.

_Percy POV_

Percy, Piper, and Arianne's body reappeared in a flash of flames on the outskirts of the Field of Mars, near the Pomerian Line. He made a move towards Tiberius, but Piper grabbed his arm and motioned behind him, "Look over there."

Percy glanced back and stood rigid in shock. The entirety of the legion was assembled before four coffins elevated on a sort of stage. Octavian, Reyna, and Jason were standing in front of them, addressing the crowd. Jason and Reyna's expressions, despite the distance, were unmistakably depressed. Octavian, on the other hand, was standing straight, betraying his clear smugness.

Percy's eyes narrowed as he realized the significance of the scene. Three of the coffins had to be for their expedition, but the fourth coffin was a mystery.

Piper asked, "Percy? Why are there four coffins? Why have they even declared us dead already?"

Percy shrugged and motioned for her to follow him. They slipped into the ranks of the legion, unseen in the back but close enough to hear Octavian begin his speech.

"This morning, three of our bravest soldiers were sent on a mission to arm us for the upcoming conflicts! However, the auguries announced to me merely an hour ago that they were attacked by monsters, and in a vision, I witnessed the demise of Arianne, Piper, and Percy," Octavian declared. Roars of anger met his words; the three First Cohort members had all been quite popular with the legion. "This was coupled by the unfortunate death of Isaac, our esteemed First Cohort centurion. We must strike back! The First Cohort must stand strong and get revenge on those who have wronged us!"

Cold laughter interrupted the cheers of the crowd at the conclusion of Octavian's speech. The sound emanated from the back of the assembled legion. Octavian's eyes narrowed in the direction of the sound while the rest of the legion looked back in shock at the person who was laughing. Reyna, who could not see the origin of the sound, called out, "How dare you mock the sacrifice of these four honorable legion members?"

Fire suddenly erupted from the source of the laughter. In another flash of flames on the stage, standing next to Octavian, stood Percy and Piper, angry expressions on both their faces. Octavian began backing away from Percy, who was enveloped in flames, dancing across his casual dress.

"Sacrifice? I'm glad you appreciated me," mocked Percy. He turned towards the horrified augur.

"As for you… We have to talk."

Percy's eyes suddenly glowed sea-green as he stared straight into Octavian's eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4.**

"_Octavian… You seem disappointed," a voice echoed._

"_How could I not? I was supposed to be the next in line to be the First Cohort centurion, on my way to praetorship, but that fool Percy Jackson had to arrive and steal all my glory!" spat Octavian, sitting in the middle of an open field under the night sky._

"_Percy Jackson? He is at the Roman camp?" the voice asked, surprised._

_Octavian glanced sharply at the lady standing in front of him, wearing a cloak with churning black dirt and a veil covering eyes that appear closed, sleeping. The augur asked, "You know him Lady Terra?"_

_Terra frowned under her veil, "He… I must obtain my revenge. I wonder why he has come to the Roman camp though…"_

_She turned towards Octavian, "I have a plan to eliminate Jackson. If you serve me for this task I will aid you in turn to obtain the power you wish."_

_Octavian nodded, eyes shining with greed, "Of course Lady Terra. I am willing to serve."_

_She chuckled darkly, "Very well… Here's what you will do."_

The memory suddenly dissipated and was replaced with another.

_Octavian sneaked up behind the barracks, careful to remain in the shadows of the buildings. He spotted Isaac walking casually towards his quarters in the First Cohort building. The augur sidled up quietly, following the centurion. The via principalis was strangely empty, the legionnaires having all gone to the Field of Mars to prepare for the Feast of Fortuna that was to occur soon. Octavian grinned; soon Isaac would be out of the way, along with Piper and Percy, who had been sent on the falsified mission to be ambushed by an army of monsters that even Percy wouldn't be able to defeat by himself._

_The traitorous augur gripped his earthen dagger firmly as he neared Isaac and his room. If all went well, the centurion's death would be blamed on a monster who would have been avenging Isaac from an older mission. _

_Isaac reached his rooms in the barracks but suddenly sensed a presence behind him. His battle-hardened instincts warned him of danger, and he placed a hand on his gladius. He glanced around imperceptibly, trying to pinpoint the danger without alerting it. His eyes flittered between the buildings, but he couldn't detect anything._

_The centurion sighed; maybe his paranoia was finally getting to him; perhaps it was time for retirement. Now that Percy had arrived, he knew he would be leaving the cohort in good hands. Isaac was interested in settling down in New Rome, perhaps meeting a lady friend, and enjoying a more relaxed life than the one he led nowadays. _

_A piercing pain suddenly broke him out of his musings. Isaac glanced down at his chest in horror, seeing the end of a dagger sticking out, warm blood pouring out of the wound. His head immediately felt faint, his eyes threatening to close. Through the veil of his eyelids, the last image Isaac ever saw was that of Octavian's eyes, a strange glint in them as he contemplated the assassination of the First Cohort centurion._

Percy's eyes stopped glowing as he pulled out of Octavian's mind brutally. Fury and rage was etched on his face as he stared at the cowering augur. In his anger, he dropped his aura concealing barriers, his pure power suddenly rushing out and forcing the entire legion to their knees. The augur fell to the floor, unable to take his gaze off Percy's face.

Percy suddenly realized his power was revealing itself, causing him to immediately conceal it again. He glared back into Octavian's eyes and tore into his mind, manipulating it into thinking that every legionnaire was a monster, and that he himself was Saturn. Satisfied with his modifications, he pulled back out of the augur's mind and smiled sadistically at him.

"Nooo! Please… please don't hurt me…" sobbed Octavian, collapsing to the ground.

Reyna and Jason, who had been until this moment quietly observing the situation, finally sprung into action and walked towards Percy, and Octavian's cowering figure. Percy was watching Octavian beg for mercy at his feet with an amused expression on his face while the rest of the legion was watching in horror.

"Percy? Uh… What happened here? Can you explain?" Reyna asked tentatively.

Percy smiled, "Simple. Our dear friend Octavian set up a trap and sent me, Piper, and Arianne on a fake mission where we were ambushed by an army of monsters. It actually made me have to work a bit, but – but Arianne… She was killed from the back. Anyways we realized it was a ploy and we return here to observe Octavian try to make a power grab. I searched his memories just now and saw he planned the whole thing with Terra, who, by the way, seems to be mad at me for some reason. He was also the person to kill Isaac; this was all an attempt to obtain control of the First Cohort and eventually become praetor."

He paused and allowed his audience to absorb his words before he grinned again and continued, "I just entered his mind and made a few – how can I put this – adjustments. Anyways, he now thinks the legionnaires are all a bunch of monsters and he thinks I'm Saturn."

The praetors blinked and glanced at each other in shock. Jason turned back to Percy, "How?"

"My mother's powers; it allows me to manipulate what one sees, but it only works this effectively on weak-minded individuals. Octavian, who was at this point thoroughly under Terra's influence, was extremely weak-minded," Percy replied.

Reyna nodded and turned back to the legionnaires, "Today we witnessed tragedy. One of our own, driven mad by power, attempted to get rid of four of our greatest legionnaires! Thankfully, two of them still remain! We must, however, mourn Arianne, one of the greatest archers this camp has ever seen. We must also mourn Isaac, a unique, inspirational leader whose prowess on the battlefield was unparalleled. Let us have a couple minutes of silence for these valiant legionnaires."

The crowd silenced themselves and dipped their heads in respect to the fallen demigods. Piper cried silently in the back of the crowd while Percy paralyzed Octavian with his powers over his blood so that his cowering would not interrupt their mourning.

Once the two minutes were over, Jason stepped forward and announced, "We must now choose the replacement for Isaac. Piper, if you can come forward and tell us your choice."

The daughter of Venus trudged up towards the stage, ignoring the pitying glances sent her way. Head held high, she walked up to Jason and Reyna and whispered in their ears.

The two praetors nodded in approval and turned back to the waiting legionnaires, "The new centurion has been chosen. The centurion of the First Cohort shall be Percy Jackson, son of Hera!"

The crowd roared in approval, having witnessed his prowess for several weeks and now having seen his uncovering of Octavian's treachery. Surprise crossed Percy's face before he immediately replaced it with his trademark poker face. He was nervous at potential betrayal once more, especially after the events at Camp Half-Blood, where his status failed to prevent the entire camp from turning on him in mere weeks.

Externally, Percy cleared his throat and addressed the crowd, "Thank you for your support. A final deed must be done today; the traitor must be eliminated. We must remain united; we are Romans! Power plays destroy our unity, our source of strength. When faced with war, we must stand strong together!"

As the legionnaires yelled in acknowledgment, Percy pulled out Anaklusmos and unsheathed it, then plunged it through Octavian's heart as he cowered on the floor, still begging for mercy.

* * *

_**(One year later)**_

Blades clashed together violently, the metal clang piercing through the crisp morning air. The sun reflected off the weapons, illuminating the two opponents.

Percy's eyes narrowed as he wielded Anaklusmos expertly, moving at inhuman speeds to deflect his opponent's blades away, barely avoiding them. He was on the defensive, but was merely waiting for a hole in his opponent's defenses. He grinned as he danced around slashes, occasionally entering his opponent's guard and dealing a blow, slowing her down.

His opponent glared at him and upped her pace, manipulating her blades ridiculously fast. She finally decided to jab at his stomach with one blade, forcing Percy to divert the blade with Anaklusmos, opening up his neck for her other blade. However, Percy moved with the momentum gained by deflecting her initial blade, dodging out of the way of the second one and rolling away from the follow-up slash.

Percy smiled and immediately launched onto the offensive, slicing and slashing rapidly, forcing his opponent on constant defense. Eventually, he decided to use Luke's old trademark move and disarmed his opponent, reducing her to one blade. From there, he simply overpowered her and placed Anaklusmos' tip at her neck.

"Yield?" he asked good-naturedly. Piper huffed and turned away, muttering, "Yeah I yield…"

Percy grinned and offered his hand, pulling her to her feet. He had adapted almost impossibly to the Roman camp, becoming a pillar at the camp. He was easily acknowledged as the most powerful demigod in the camp, but was known for his friendliness and willingness to help his cohort members to improve. The First Cohort was now head and shoulders above the other cohorts, but they were barely arrogant; instead, they often aided the other cohorts during their training.

Percy and Piper had grown close; she was his best friend in the camp, although he was also good friends with the two praetors. Piper had once expressed her romantic intentions towards Percy, but the demigod told her of the betrayal he endured in detail, and the fact that he wasn't ready for a relationship yet.

Meanwhile, Percy began training Piper in sword-fighting. Her style became more fluid, as the art of wielding dual blades worked much better with the Greek style of fighting, which focused more around individualistic fighting oriented around slashing rather than the Roman legion style that was based off stabbing. Her lithe form allowed her incredible dodging skills, which made Piper a force to be reckoned with. Despite her lack of strength compared to some of the other fighters, she could use her opponent's force against them very easily.

Piper turned back to Percy, grinning, "Although, I thought I finally had you there."

"Don't worry Pipes, you'll beat me eventually," he said. "After all, I did train you, and as the saying goes: the student always outdoes the master."

She smiled, "I doubt it… And we both know why."

Percy grimaced, "I really dislike my heritage. And I hope you realize I meant in a mere weapons vs weapons fight, not powers."

"Yeah, don't worry. Weren't you supposed to go see Juno today?" Piper asked.

Percy's eyes widened, "Shit! Mom might get mad… She said she had something important to tell me. I'll see you later Pipes."

He turned and ran as Piper laughed and called out to him, "Later!"

* * *

_Hera POV_

Hera stood waiting in the clearing she had chosen to meet with Percy. Ever since he had come to Camp Jupiter, the two would meet at the end of each month to talk about things that were happening. Hera would inform Percy of Olympian matters while Percy would confide in her his thoughts and joy at being accepted in the Roman camp.

The goddess frowned; the news she was going to tell Percy was not going to please him at all. In fact, Hera was quite sure he would lose control of his powers again and tear up the camp, leading her to have made precautionary measures.

After fifteen minutes of waiting, Hera raised her eyebrow at the column of flames that suddenly appeared and dissipated in the middle of the clearing. Percy stumbled out, trying to regain her balance. He looked up and swallowed, "Training distracted me. I started running here in panic, completely forgot that I could just flame here."

Hera smirked, "Are you sure training was all you were doing?"

Percy blushed, "Mom…"

Hera laughed and walked over towards Percy. He merely looked at her questioningly as she placed her hand on his shoulder and teleported them to a remote location.

Percy looked at her quizzically again as Hera sighed. She did not want to break the news to her son, but there was no way any of them would survive without it. She grimaced and said, "Listen, Percy… I know you're not going to like what I am about to tell you."

Percy frowned but stayed silent. Hera continued, "Remember what I told you last month? That _she_ has been looking for a way to chain Thanatos and the Doors of Death as to release all the monsters in Tartarus, as well as keeping them alive afterwards?"

He nodded.

"Well, a few days ago, _she_ caught Thanatos. Unfortunately, the Doors of Death were in Tartarus at the time, and despite her limited state of awareness, _she _was able to chain the doors on the immortal side in the heart of Tartarus, thus fulfilling her plans. This means Olympus has been, on Zeus' orders, forced into a new plan."

Here, she paused, collecting her thoughts in order to break the harsh news as gently as possible.

"Listen, Percy… I know what happened to you, I am the first to say that I will kill them if they harmed you again. But, in light of this situation, there is no other way to defeat _her_."

Percy cocked an eyebrow in her direction, dreading the reply.

"Zeus decided to switch leaders from this camp and the other one in order to unite the Greeks and the Romans to face this threat. There is a prophecy that requires this, and despite my efforts to the contrary, Zeus went through with his plan. Soon, Jason will be switched with the new leader of the Greek camp."

During this, Percy's eyes widened as he recalled his promise to kill any member of Camp Half-Blood if he saw them again. His concealment of his aura dropped as a storm immediately gathered around him, a storm so powerful lightning crackled among the powerful winds.

Hera watched wide-eyed as her adopted son unleashed a storm rivaling Poseidon's in his anger before she moved to try and calm him. His eyes were glowing with pure power, and his aura was as great as that of Ares, to her shock and awe.

"Percy! Please! Listen to me! You are disguised! We can work around this problem; once this war ends, if your true identity gets out, we will erase the memories of those who wronged you."

Percy's image flickered as his disguise was shattered, replaced by his true form. His unruly black hair began waving in the intense winds, his eyes flaming pits of clashing gray and brown, his sea green bands glowing, but he turned towards his mother, coherent thought finally entering his mind again. With great effort, he struggled to control his anger. Gradually, the powerful storm died down as he mastered his emotions, able to finally imprint his will on powers.

Hera smiled at him; he had accomplished what normally takes demigods years to do: he mastered his emotions that previously were the only things to unleash his powers. His achievement was even more notable considering the unusual amount of power he had.

The storm ended completely as Percy once again concealed his aura. He grinned widely, "I finally managed to control it!"

Hera laughed, "Indeed, you accomplished something rather astonishing, mastering your extensive powers through will rather than emotion."

Percy nodded but frowned, "Who is the new leader of the Greek camp. I will not tolerate one of those new post-Titan War campers who have no experience or my _former_ girlfriend, that traitorous–"

Hera interrupted, "Percy, watch your language. The switched leader is Will Solace; he was gone with Ares' daughter, Clarisse LaRue, on a lengthy drakon hunting mission after the war. Neither were there during Poseidon's spawn's time. However, he isn't the actual camp leader: Clarisse has in fact brought the camp back from its lowest points following her return. She also strictly believes that your actions were justified."

Percy sighed, relieved, "That makes this situation a lot more bearable."

"Both will also have their memories stolen temporarily; it would not do well if both stumbled into unexpected environments suddenly with their knowledge of their respective ancestries," Hera said.

He nodded in acknowledgment, "Well then… When can I expect the switch? What do you want me to say about Jason when he disappears?"

"We've already taken Will and he is currently stowed away in Olympus in a temporary coma. Once Jason returns from his mission, which interrupted our plans, we will remove him that night," Hera answered.

"Okay," said Percy. "He should return tomorrow or the day after."

Hera nodded, "Yes. Also, I don't want you to say anything about his disappearance. Zeus' hope is that Apollo's son embeds himself enough in Camp Jupiter that he gains their respect, and, as a result, potentially becomes praetor in Jason's role."

Percy stared at her, wide-eyed, "Zeus wants _his own son_ to lose his position?"

"It surprised me as well, but don't be surprised if Zeus takes advantage of the situation to place Jason as consul of New Rome after the war is over; with your absence, Olympus has deemed him to be the most powerful demigod between both camps," said Hera.

"What about Nico? What is his role?"

"I don't know. From what I understood, he's been training with Hades since the war in the Underworld. He will likely be a major force in the war."

Percy grinned, "Excellent. About the war; when should I reveal myself? I know that you've kept them off my back for the last year due to my supposed 'death', but now – now I can't be selfish."

"Percy, it's your choice. You're going to have to reveal yourself eventually, especially because when the Greeks meet the Romans, questions will be raised about your name."

He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I knew we should've given me a hidden identity…"

Hera looked at her adopted son, pitying his situation, "Percy, I know I told you you wouldn't see them again, but this war… It forced our hand. If I'd known, I would have agreed. At that time, I didn't want to see you break your connection any further with Sally."

Percy's eyes misted over slightly at the mention of his dead mother, and he clenched his jaw, wiping his eyes rapidly, "It doesn't matter. I will participate in the war. I won't let you down. However, if those Greeks even try something, I will lash out in reply."

Hera walked over and hugged him tightly, "I'm proud of you Percy. You truly are the greatest demigod of all times."

Percy blinked and smiled, hugging his adopted mother back, "Thanks mom. You are the one who gave me this second chance."

The two enjoyed each other's presence before Hera broke the emotion-filled hug. She looked at Percy apologetically, "Zeus called a meeting. Jason is on his way back, they are preparing phase two of their plan: Apollo's son will be left at the Wolf House to find his way here after some training with Lupa while I take Jason to a location where he will be picked up by Camp Half-Blood campers."

Percy nodded in acknowledgment and waved his farewell as his mother flashed away. His body subconsciously dissipated into the air as he mist-travelled back into camp, his body reforming in his room.

* * *

_Percy POV_

A shrill yell pierced the night above the barracks of Camp Jupiter. Percy's blade clashed violently against Reyna's, but he pulled back and wiped his brow. Reyna was easily the best swordsman in the camp bar Percy, and her skill forced Percy to exert his maximum effort. Their spar was interrupted, however, by this alarm raised by a legionnaire. Reyna immediately sheathed her sword and looked towards the source of the sound.

"You there! Come with me," she barked at a few idle legionnaires hanging out before going to sleep. She turned back to Percy, "I want you here too, in case of a threat."

Percy nodded in assent, following the praetor wordlessly. They strode on towards the praetor quarters, to Reyna's growing horror, where the sound seemed to have originated from. Percy instantly understood that a legionnaire had discovered or had witnessed the disappearance of Jason.

A young legionnaire stumbled out of Jason's rooms, panting. His eyes widened when he saw Reyna.

"Praetor Reyna, I was asked to take a message to praetor Jason," he said, wringing his hands nervously. "When I entered his rooms to give him the message, he was sitting idly. He turned towards me, but then a flash of light similar to a god's arrival suddenly lit up the room, so I shielded my eyes. When it went away, Jason was gone!"

A few gasps arose from the legionnaires Reyna had asked to accompany her to deal with the threat, while Percy maintained his emotionless façade. Reyna's eyes narrowed and she dismissed the legionnaire, striding purposefully into Jason's rooms. Percy followed, aware they would not be able to discover anything.

A faint trace of a godly aura lingered in the room Jason had been kidnapped from, causing Reyna to frown. She turned to Percy, "What do you think happened here?"

"I recognize the aura that is in this room; it seems Jason was taken by the gods," replied Percy.

Reyna looked thoughtful, "If that is the case, we must assume he was chosen for a mission. He should return soon, until then there is no reason to take action."

Percy nodded, inwardly smirking: it would be months before the Greeks would arrive, led by Jason. He wondered momentarily what would happen if _she_ chose to attack earlier, capitalizing on the lack of a second praetor, but he quickly banished the thought from his mind. Now, all that remained was lying in wait for Will to arrive to the camp from the Wolf House.

Two weeks later, still no trace of Jason. The Camp Jupiter legionnaires had grown restless and worried during this time; their praetor had disappeared and the gods had informed them of nothing. Only Percy knew the truth of the matter, and he refused to divulge his knowledge, even to Piper.

The monsters seemed to sense the weakness in the camp, and had begun organizing attacks on legionnaires who strayed from the camp. The tunnel guards were increased in order to ward off the increasing attacks. To the horror of the campers, most of the monsters reformed instantly after dissipating into golden dust. Percy had become a main fixture as a guard, as his powers as Hestia's champion allowed him to burn the monsters' golden dust and prevent them from reforming.

Eventually, the senate decided to take action, and named Percy as temporary praetor to fill in for Jason in order to regain control of the increasingly dangerous situation. Percy accepted the position silently, knowing it wouldn't be long before Will would arrive and then a few months before Jason would return.

He had no wish to be in such a role of leadership again, especially after the betrayals at Camp Half-Blood, but his newfound appreciation for the Roman camp and his fondness for some of the members allowed him to begin putting his past behind him for good.

* * *

**_(Camp Half-Blood)_**

"You mean to tell me you just found this guy with two other demigods, both above thirteen years old? The gods broke their pact with Percy?" asked Clarisse.

"Yeah… Apollo came to me in a dream and said we'd be able to find Will at Grand Canyon; look for the boy with the missing shoe… That guy was the one with the missing shoe, but he remembers nothing of his past. The only odd thing is his sword, it's some sort of different style, and it's gold, not celestial bronze, but it destroyed the storm spirit attacking them. I don't know what's up with the pact," answered Butch.

"Okay. You can go, then."

Clarisse frowned and assessed the information. Ever since Will's disappearance a month previously, she had been forced to take charge of the camp even more than before. Reconstruction of the whole camp had gone very well; the Hephaestus cabin had modernized the cabins drastically, massively increasing security. Furthermore, the gods had contributed some of their power to strengthen the barrier formed by Thalia's tree.

The problem remained in the divided camp. All the younger campers, those that came after the Titan War, and there were a lot of them, were raised on Mike's lies, and thoroughly despised Percy Jackson. This set them on a polar opposite side to the older members, most of them camp leaders. They had, ever since the revelation in the large battle over a year before, deeply regretted their actions, and tried to emphasize the positive role Percy had filled during the war. However, their attempts to tell the truth were consistently undermined by Annabeth, who seemed to have picked up a personal vendetta against Percy.

She still believed Mike was innocent, that Percy was a heartless bastard, that he had turned his mother against her, and that she was still the smartest child of Athena ever. Her flouting of the quests Percy had underwent before and during the war caused the new campers to further hate the former son of Poseidon, due to her supposed authority on the subject rooted in her former relationship with Percy.

Since the revelations made at the battle, Poseidon had practically disappeared. He hardly attended the meetings at Olympus, choosing instead to retire in his palace in the ocean, mourning the death of Percy Jackson that he had essentially caused.

The gods had once again retired from public appearances following the conclusion of the battle a year previously. The dream from Apollo was the first message from the gods in a year, and the fact that it addressed one of the most notable camp members led Clarisse to believe something greater was going on; something along the magnitude of the Titan War.

She mentally reviewed the Olympian council's conversation after the battle. It had imprinted itself in her memory, as she attempted from that point on to turn the camp around from their plunge initiated by the throwing out of the savior of Olympus. One thing struck Clarisse as she once again analyzed the meeting: Zeus had referred to an ulterior threat, one he was clearly unwilling to name. _Then again_, she mused. _Words do have power. Look what they did to Prissy_.

Clarisse frowned; back then, she never had to formulate these wrought-out plans; she had been merely a powerful warrior. Strategy was left to the Athena kids, but all of them had followed Annabeth's path. In fact, it seemed Athena herself had virtually disowned her children as a result of their less than stellar attitude.

_Her_. That was all Zeus could say. She was sure this had to do with the appearance of these three demigods, all of whom should've been already claimed. Breaking out of her thoughts she decided to pay the new campers a visit. Clarisse strode out into the clearing of the camp. It had been greatly modernized, but the root damages caused by the massive earthquake Percy had initiated almost two years before remained, scarring the land. She spotted the three newcomers hanging around outside the Big House, having been medically attended to after being picked up.

She changed her direction and walked towards them, but noticed an assortment of post-Titan War campers approach them as well. The fools intended to "initiate" the demigods. Clarisse chuckled, recalling the times she would resort to such petty methods of establishing dominance. Accelerating her pace, the imposing daughter of Ares moved to intercept the group before they made a scene.

Unfortunately, the leader of the campers reached the three new demigods first and engaged their self-styled representative, a sixteen year old boy that strikingly resembled Hercules, with his blonde hair and strangely familiar electric blue eyes. Despite her distance, Clarisse saw it rapidly dissolve in civility.

She sighed in annoyance: the post-Titan War campers were incompetent and were the root of the majority of the problems in camp. Despite Percy's noble intentions, the massive influx of campers was a tremendous setback, as it ruined what once was a tightly-knit community. Camp Half-Blood used to host not more than fifty campers, but now, the number of campers easily reached into the hundreds.

Clarisse pulled out her spear, Maimer, and directed it at the leader of the campers attempting to "initiate" the blonde kid and his companions. A bolt of lightning arced from her weapon and struck him, sending him flying back into the group of campers and knocking a few down. The electric shock knocked him out and his skin was singed. The rest of the group looked murderously at Clarisse before realizing who she was, and backed off. Clarisse snorted. Cowards.

She turned her attention back to the newcomers and said, "You three! I have some questions in regards to your situation."

The blonde boy nodded slowly and followed her as she led them into the Big House and into a room they had set up for questioning purposes. Clarisse settled behind a desk and leaned back in her chair, looking at each of the newcomers.

"Blonde kid! What's your name?"

He seemed affronted for a moment before relenting, "The only thing I can recall from my past is that my name is Jason Grace."

Clarisse suddenly stood up violently, palms smashing onto the desk, eyes wide in disbelief, "Grace?"

Jason looked bewildered, "Yes… Is that a problem?"

The daughter of Ares frowned and turned away, studying the wall, before asking, "Do you by any chance know Thalia Grace?"

"Thalia?" Jason suddenly gripped his head as pain ripped through it. The name sounded extremely familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly why.

The boy to Jason's right moved forward and steadied him, "Easy, mate. Are you alright?"

Jason shook his head, clearing the pain, "Yeah – I think I'm good. Just a little headache. Thalia… she sounds very familiar, but I can't remember where I heard her name. I'm positive I knew her."

Clarisse blinked. He was clearly a son of Zeus, if his exploits earlier today relayed by Butch were true, dealing with the storm spirits so easily. She had in front of her Thalia's brother _by blood_. She couldn't, however, figure out why they would ever be separated. She turned to look at his companions, "Don't worry about it Jason, when your memory comes back I'm sure you'll figure it out. As for you two; how about an introduction. I'm Clarisse LaRue, Ares cabin counsellor."

The boy who helped Jason spoke first, "Leo Valdez."

"I'm Arianne, I don't remember having a last name at all…" answered the girl next to the two boys.

Jason looked over at her, a pensive look on his face, as if he recognized her, but it went unnoticed by the rest. Clarisse moved out from behind the desk and stood in front of Jason, "If I may – show me the sword you used against the storm spirits."

Jason nodded and pulled out a coin, which he flipped into the air. In mid-air, it changed into a gladius, made of a gold of the likes Clarisse had never seen. She plucked the gladius out of the air and ran a thumb along the blade before looking back at Jason.

"Where did you get this? This isn't a Greek style sword, nor is it made out of a material I recognize," asked Clarisse. Jason frowned as he thought, a few thoughts flickering through his mind.

"This – this isn't a Greek sword. It's… It's a Roman gladius, and – and I believe that it is made out of Imperial gold."

"Romans? Oh shit," Clarisse said. She called loudly, "Chiron! We have a problem!"

A few minutes later, Chiron galloped into the room where the four demigods were waiting patiently. He had a bitter expression on his face, one that had occupied it more or less all the time since Percy Jackson had left camp.

"What is it, child?" he asked. Clarisse merely held out Jason's gladius, "This."

Chiron looked at the gladius and stifled a gasp. _The switch has begun_, he thought bitterly. _Hopefully this works, or it is the end of us all_. He looked up at the four awaiting demigods and shook his head, "This is unimportant. It is most likely Jason's godly parent gifted it to him. Imperial gold is, by the way, a material with essentially the same properties as celestial bronze."

Clarisse nodded her head slowly, suspicious that the centaur was withholding information. She resolved to delve into the matters at a later time. She turned back to the three new campers and nodded, satisfied, "Very well. You are free to go. I expect you will be claimed at the campfire tonight. Chiron, can you find out why these three were not led here earlier?"

The centaur sighed but nodded in assent. Jason, Leo, and Arianne turned and left. Clarisse settled back into her chair and fixed her gaze on the longtime mentor of demigods.

"Chiron, what are you withholding? What have the gods told you?" queried Clarisse.

Chiron paused, thinking of an excuse, before accepting the fact he couldn't do anything. He quickly explained to Clarisse the Roman camp, and how the switch was being made to unite the two camps against the coming threat, that threat being the Earth itself, Kronos' mother. Clarisse's eyes gradually widened and her jaw dropped slowly in surprise and horror throughout the tale, and at the end, she slumped back, in shock.

"Well… we have another, even more terrifying war ahead of us, we need to somehow unite with our blood enemies, Percy was killed essentially by our own camp… There is no hope."

Chiron shook his head, "Don't think like that, child. You were present when we defied impossible odds and defeated both Kronos and his army, as well as Typhon. As long as we are determined, we can. Not to mention our tremendous numbers."

Clarisse looked respectfully at the centaur, "But, last time, we had Percy. He inspired us to new heights; he was the biggest reason we won that war. He even managed to convince Poseidon to help defeat Typhon. We don't have a powerhouse like that. Even our increased numbers aren't important: many of the new campers are nowhere near the quality of the ones who fought in the Titan War."

Chiron contemplated her sadly, "Percy is sorely missed, but he wouldn't want you to wallow. You have already been able to bring the camp back from the brink of destruction; you can lead these campers and mold them into warriors. Besides, from what I've heard from Olympus, Jason is an extremely powerful son of Jupiter."

"Still…" she sighed. "He still has to gain the confidence of the campers… and then deal with the aftermath when he regains his memories and reveals the existence of this Roman camp."

"Indeed, Clarisse. Trying times are ahead, but we must merely hope that we are strong enough to come through them. Hope must never be lost – the consequences are too devastating otherwise."

Clarisse nodded and closed her eyes.

_Fucking camp, why did you force me into this role?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5.**

"Hey! Percy! Reyna told me to come get you, there's something she needs your presence for."

Percy rose from his meditative position from his bed in his room. Ever since he had managed to overpower his emotions and control his tremendous powers, he had taken to a period of meditation daily in order to keep his emotions in check. Furthermore, it had allowed him to attain a level mastery over his powers nearly unheard of before; his powers inherited from Poseidon, once extremely volatile since they were unlocked, were now at his beck and call. His general finesse and technique had vastly increased, and it showed.

Even in practice spars with Piper and Reyna, opponents that had begun giving him a true challenge, and who had each managed to actually defeat him a few times, his newfound calmness and battle vision caused him to once again overwhelm them. A rueful Piper referred to his past phrase, chuckling, "The student always outdoes the master, but then the master gets better…"

Percy had given her a wry grin but didn't enlighten her on the reasons why he had suddenly become an even greater swordsman. His two training partners were extremely talented with their respective weapons, easily superior to any other demigod Percy had fought with, except Luke, but they couldn't keep up with his increased skills.

Two months had passed since Jason's disappearance, and Hera had once again visited Percy a few days before to inform him that Will was nearing the end of his training with Lupa. The demigod wasn't particularly happy to see his former campmate, but he didn't boil over like he used to.

The legionnaire calling him now struck him as bizarre; how did Will get here so quickly? He stretched and stood, nodding in acknowledgment to the messenger, motioning to him to lead the way. No matter what the issue was, he'd find out soon enough.

He followed the legionnaire as he led him out of the Roman camp to the outskirts of the valley, near the Little Tiber. Percy hadn't divulged to anyone that he bore the blessing of the Styx, and thanks to his skill, no questions had been raised over his lack of blood wounds. He rarely involved himself in hand-to-hand combat against campers since his inaugural trials, choosing to keep his invulnerability to himself. This led to him truly disliking the river, as it reminded him both of his fa– _former_ father's betrayal as well as the threat it posed to his invulnerability.

Percy was prepared to see anything but what he saw. Reyna was standing, imposing in her purple robes with golden medals pinned to her clothes. In front of her were two people, one imposing boy who seemed to practically give off a malevolent air. He was dark-haired and had olive skin. He was younger than Percy, but he carried himself in a confident manner that displayed power. Next to him was a dark skinned girl with golden brown hair who was looking around, as if trying to absorb the image of the valley.

However, Percy strode forward, and as he approached, his suspicions concerning the boy began confirming themselves. He could now recognize him, despite the fact that it had been nearly two years since he had last seen him, and that he had changed so much.

Percy stared, dumbfounded, "Nico?"

Reyna looked back at Percy in shock, not having noticed his approach. She raised an eyebrow suspiciously while the boy's eyes darkened suspiciously. He placed a hand on his Stygian iron sword strung at his belt, and he glared at Percy, "Who are you? How do you know me?"

Nico di Angelo stood before Percy Jackson, not recognizing his cousin. His disguise prevented his identity from being shown, but his name did not. Reyna quickly intervened, "This is my fellow praetor, Percy Jackson."

Instantly, Nico unsheathed his sword and moved to attack Percy. Said son of Hera anticipated this violent reaction and moved his lower arm horizontally in front of him. Nico's blade struck his arm but bounced off to the shock of the two watching demigods and Nico himself.

"H– how? You – you died! Had– Pluto told me what they did to you at camp – he said they drove you away – what are you doing here?– why do you look different?– I thought I was the only one that was supposed to know…" Nico stammered.

Reyna looked on, a questioning look on her face, one that promised pain if Percy did not explain the situation. The girl standing next to Nico just stood awkwardly, unable to figure out what was going on. Percy gulped at Reyna's expression but looked intensely at Nico, "It's a really long story bro. On that note, it's been ages since I saw you. How've you been?"

Nico grinned at Percy's casual but strategic parrying of his questions and manipulation into a normal conversation, "I've been good. The underworld is actually a cool place, and I couldn't go back _there_ after what they did. By the way, I've been training ever since _then_, so I want a fight. I doubt you can keep up now."

His smile turned into a frown, "Nice try though. Why did you tell them you were dead? Why is my father covering for you? And why do you look different?"

Percy smirked and showed his true self to Nico using his powers inherited from Hera. Nico's eyebrows went up to his hairline when he saw the flicker around his form as he revealed himself solely to him.

"How?" was all he could say. Percy chuckled, "He– Juno adopted me after the incident, and gave me a new chance by sending me here. I didn't want them to look for me, so she told Uncle Pluto the situation and asked him to keep it a secret."

Nico nodded, understanding the situation and his reasons, but said, "Juno? How did that happen? You know, it was still a dick move, leaving me out for two years like that. And Thalia! The gods only know how much she's IM'd me since you disappeared. All that because I was the one to take you to bathe–"

Percy coughed loudly, and Nico caught on immediately, "Um… As I was saying, she is seriously mad. Did you know she threatened to tear Annabeth apart the next time she saw her after the hunters had come to camp to help with the rebuilding?"

Percy blanched, "The rebuilding needed hunter's help? Did I really do that much damage?"

Nico chuckled, "It was necessary. The hunters, by the way, are now even more convinced of the worthlessness of men after Mike's actions. Apparently Artemis respected you a great deal. They haven't returned to camp since then."

Percy smiled genuinely, "It's nice to know I have people from that time that still cared, although I would've preferred the caring when I was running away in the forests for months."

Nico gaped, but Percy continued, "I don't blame you guys though, don't worry. I know you had your training and Thalia is the lieutenant of the hunters, neither of you were available. I'm still shocked _they_ could do that to me."

Reyna, who had been until now watching the conversation with morbid fascination, interjected, "I don't know how the hell you two know each other and I have no idea what you're talking about, but I think you can catch up later. So, since you know Nico, he is the Ambassador of Pluto to this camp."

Percy looked at her, briefly horrorstruck before realizing they hadn't revealed any sensitive information before turning back to his cousin, "Ambassador, eh? Not bad, not bad. Who's your friend?"

The girl standing next to Nico had been completely silent during the whole discussion, clearly intimidated by the extreme confidence displayed by the three other people and the fact that Percy knew who Nico was.

"Picking fun at my position? You've become praetor already, god damn. You never do anything by halves, I guess you just can't resist the danger? Has Juno told you what's up right now?" Nico asked.

"Yeah, I'm completely up to date with happenings. The monsters just don't fucking die anymore, it's a pain in the ass. I've had to do guard duty almost all the time. You didn't tell me who your friend was though."

Nico bit his lip nervously, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Percy, who focused in on it.

"She's my sister, Hazel Levesque, son of Pluto," he replied. Percy looked interested and turned to her, "Hey, I'm Percy Jackson."

Hazel looked extremely nervous about something, but answered him, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Percy didn't miss the formal tone that was not common in this day and age. He glared at Nico, "What did you do? I can see it. You may have grown but you haven't changed. I know when you lie to me now."

Nico looked down, ashamed, reminded of his trap he pulled to get information about his mother.

"I – I'd prefer to talk about it later," he replied, a meaningful glance towards Reyna and a pale Hazel.

Reyna arched her eyebrows, clearly supremely irritated at her failing to comprehend the majority of the conversation and the secrets held between Percy and the Ambassador of Pluto, and now this new demigod.

"Percy, I hope you can tell me what's going on here later. Ambassador, are you going to remain here? Would you like lodgings?" Reyna asked.

Nico shook his head negatively, "No, my father has business he needs me for. After I talk to Perce, I'll be leaving."

Reyna looked at her fellow praetor and the spawn of Pluto appraisingly, but nodded. She turned to Hazel, "Okay, come with me, I'll take you to your rooms. Tomorrow, we'll be able to find you a cohort."

Percy understood she was giving him and Nico a chance for privacy and smiled appreciatively at her. She gave him a stiff nod but a look promising pain, and turned away, leading Hazel towards the barracks. As soon as they left hearing distance, Percy spun and looked at Nico, "What did you do?"

"Have you heard about what happened to the Doors of Death?"

"Yes," Percy replied with a sinking feeling in his heart.

"I went to bring back Bianca. It isn't fair that the monsters can leave Tartarus and come back here, and then just not die. She – she deserved another chance to live! Her life was too short! But when I went there, they told me she had chosen to go for rebirth; that I couldn't bring her back. She's – she's just _gone_ – gone _forever_."

At this point Nico had a couple tears running down her face despite his stringent attempts to rein in his emotions. Percy understood his pain, seeing as his own family had been killed in cold blood, and gave his cousin some time to regain composure. Once he did so, he continued his tale,

"Then, I met Hazel in Asphodel. She too had died before she was meant to. She lived back in the 1940s, like when I was actually born, before my memories were removed by the Lethe. I asked her if she wanted to return, and she accepted. It didn't help that as a daughter of Pluto, she could feel every second she was stuck in the Fields. Now I have a sister again, and I will not allow anyone to take her back. The gods don't pay any attention to this camp from what I learned, so she will be in the least amount of danger here."

Percy sighed, "Nico… Do you know about the war that is coming up?"

"Yeah."

"Hera told me they plan on uniting the two camps; there's a switch happening soon. They already took the old praetor in my spot to Camp Half-Blood I think, and Will Solace is going to show up here within the next week," Percy explained. "Essentially, this means the gods will be paying attention here again."

Nico looked horrified, "Then – they'll catch her! What am I supposed to do?"

Percy shook his head, "No. I'll watch out for her. Gods aren't that big of an issue anymore, unless it's one of the Big Three. I'm actually interested in fighting Ares again; should be quite the experience."

Nico grinned, his worries allayed, "Does that mean I still can't defeat you? I've been training with Achilles almost nonstop for almost two years, I don't think I'd be a pushover."

Percy whistled appreciatively, "Damn! That's good shit… Next time you swing by I definitely want to test you out. There are a couple amazing swordsmen in this camp, but they still don't really pose a challenge, and that's without me using my powers."

"Uh… If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your – your Poseidon powers?"

Percy's expression darkened and his hand shot out, paralyzing the blood flow in Nico's body. Nico's eyes widened dramatically as Percy removed his control over the blood, "Holy shit… How are you so powerful? Honestly, that ability is unfair."

Percy turned away and looked at the distant Mount Diablo, "Hera theorized that the extreme emotional disturbance caused by the betrayals of the camp then the subsequent cheating by Annabeth and murders of– of– of my mom and Paul caused me to lose control of my powers. I was always told that I had far more strength than a normal demigod, but it seems what happened to me destroyed any sort of barrier caused by my mortality. I'm still a demigod, but technically speaking, I'm much more _god_ than human. The destruction of the 'barriers,' if I can refer to them as such, increased the ichor present in my body dramatically.

Hera says that 95% of my blood is now golden ichor, the only possible way that I can channel power equivalent to Poseidon. Luckily, I haven't had to explain the golden ichor to anyone yet because of the mark of Achilles, which I managed to keep even past the Little Tiber."

Nico's jaw dropped during the explanation, and at the conclusion he frowned, "Wow. Honestly speaking, the power you have now is incredible, but I wouldn't want it. Not at the cost of what you went through."

Percy turned back to him and nodded, his eyes flickering in and out of their illusion due to his emotions that he was forcing down, "Yeah… The one positive of this matter is that it showed me who to trust and who the worthless pieces of shit are."

Nico blinked in assent, "Definitely." He hesitated. "By the way, you should really IM Thalia; her reaction after this whole business was truly insane; she almost destroyed all of what remained of camp when she heard the true story of what happened to you."

"I'll keep that in mind. To be honest, I'm rather terrified of her anger once she finds out I was alive," Percy said. Nico laughed, "It was your call; you could've talked to her before. Good luck Perce, I'll see you later."

"I'll keep an eye on Hazel, don't worry. Later," Percy replied, before disappearing in a column of flames. Nico simply raised an eyebrow curiously, then called on the surrounding shadows to envelop him and shadow-traveled back to the underworld.

* * *

That night, Reyna cornered Percy in his rooms, a menacing look on her face, "Explain yourself, Jackson. No more vague answers. What is this past of yours? How did you know the Ambassador of Pluto? What did he mean 'why do you look different'?"

Percy stretched out on his bed and sighed, closing his eyes, "First, swear on the River Styx that you won't reveal what you see unless I give permission or I reveal it myself."

"Fine. I swear on the Styx to abide by your terms."

He grinned and focused, dropping the illusion and revealing his true self to his fellow praetor. Reyna instantly backed off in shock. Instead of the familiar blonde she had become used to seeing every day at camp, a black-haired boy with high, aristocratic cheekbones and chiseled features. He was stunningly handsome, and Reyna gaped for a few moments. Percy chuckled and opened his eyes, fixing them on the praetor. Her jaw dropped further as she saw his flaming gray and brown eyes, surrounded by a band of sea-green.

"So that – is that the epitome of your powers inherited from Juno?" she finally asked.

"In a way, it could be considered that," Percy replied.

"So," Reyna's eyes narrowed, focusing on the two sea-green bands in his eyes. "Who is your birth parent?"

Instantly Percy's eyes darkened.

"He is not _my_ father! No true parent would have done what he did!" he spat angrily. His powers tried to express his emotions, but his extensive meditation allowed him to calm himself and school his face into an expressionless mask.

Reyna, however, recognized the sea-green coloring, "It's Neptune, isn't it?"

Percy struggled, but maintained his mask. He turned his back to Reyna and stared intensely at the wall of his room, "No, actually."

He smirked and turned back to her, "It's a long story, why don't you have a seat?"

Reyna raised an eyebrow inquiringly, but threw herself rather unprofessionally on his bed, lying down. She grinned at him, "Go on."

Percy immediately launched into an explanation of his story, rapidly summarizing his life at Camp Half-Blood but emphasizing its existence. He continued on to explain the true details of the defeat of Kronos, then the awards ceremony, before Reyna interrupted him,

"You! It was _you_ who destroyed Circe's island!"

"Why do you – oh! You were one of the attendants?"

"Yes," she spat. "You unleashed a pack of chauvinistic pirates on us!"

"Actually," he said. "That was the _bitch_ who was accompanying me. I was actually a guinea pig trapped in the very cage along with the transformed pirates."

Reyna stopped glaring at him, "Why do you keep referring to her so derisively? I thought she was your companion…"

"I thought so too! I even turned down _godhood_ for her!"

"Godhood?! You could've been a god?" she exploded in disbelief.

"Yeah, but I was a fool. She and the entire camp betrayed me soon after," he answered bitterly.

He continued his explanation with more detail, depicting his destruction of the camp in his rage. He skimmed through the murder of his family, a few tears staining his face, skipped his brutal killing of Mike and his stooges, went through his escape in the forest, subsequent adoption by Hera, then skipped his extensive training, before ending his tale at his arrival at Camp Jupiter.

"So let me get this straight: you're a Greek demigod son of Poseidon, adopted son of Hera, champion of Athena and Hestia. You defeated three Titans, all of them major ones, and fought another one, killed almost all the big monsters, was offered _godhood_, and you're only seventeen? And you're supposed to have raw power greater than most Olympians?" Reyna exclaimed in disbelief.

Percy looked thoughtful for a moment, "You know, when you put it that way, it does sound kind of impressive. But yeah, that's pretty much it."

Reyna shook her head, unable to accept the blasé attitude of the boy in front of her, "Your companion was a fool to let go of a catch like you."

Percy laughed bitterly, "I'm glad, actually. It showed me her true personality; I have no regrets except having let her influence so much of my life."

Reyna nodded absently while recalling the conversation Percy had with Nico, before narrowing her eyes in his direction, "There's something you're not telling me, isn't there? What did the ambassador mean when he said 'Has Juno told you what's up right now?'"

The son of Hera settled back on his bed, eyes closing in exhaustion, "There's a war coming up, more severe than the last one with the Titans… One of the reasons I killed Octavian so mercilessly was because he was involved with these plans, he was allied with the enemy to gain power. The gods want to unite the two camps, so they switched the leaders."

"That's why Jason was taken?"

"Yes. Soon, a son of Apollo from Camp Half-Blood is going to show up. He's supposed to gain the camp's trust, and probably get the praetor position, so you would listen to him more. Then the two camps unite under Jason, since after my 'death', he is the most powerful demigod in either camp, since Nico doesn't count."

Reyna rubbed her eyes exasperatedly, "This is insane… What's going to happen to you?"

Percy opened his eyes and shot her a wry grin, "I'm the wild card, my dear. I will probably end up having to face all my past demons, but in a way, I'm quite eager to see the gods' reactions."

Reyna snorted, "Okay, you're officially insane. Are you on that good terms with the gods?"

"Some of them, definitely. Most of them owe me favors from the last war, and I have three surefire allies in the Olympian council."

"Despite my questions over your sanity, this does seem like a rather entertaining reunion to look forward too," Reyna said wryly.

Percy smiled sweetly, "Of course! For example, my dear uncle Zeus will probably throw his largest tantrum since Kronos tried to eat him millennia ago."

Reyna laughed, shaking her head good-naturedly, "Well… What are we going to tell the others about this?"

"Nothing," Percy replied seriously. "The point of this plan is to gain trust then reveal the info to them. The less people know, the better it goes." He turned away. "Despite my hatred for the camp and for what they did to me, _she_ is the bigger threat right now, and this plan is the best way to combine our strength to be able to fight this war."

Reyna blinked before nodding slowly in assent. Percy's serious mask dropped away quickly and he smiled sadistically for a moment, unseen by his fellow praetor.

"Of course," he murmured. "After the war is a whole, different matter…"

* * *

"Praetor Reyna! There is a demigod that has carried over the goddess Juno across the Little Tiber! He says he was sent by Lupa, and he has no memory of his past before having woken up in the Wolf House!"

Reyna, who had been sparring with Piper, immediately sheathed her sword and turned to the messenger. _This is our man_, she thought. She nodded to Piper, "Come with me, Percy's still out on his mission to kill the gorgons."

"Sounds good," she answered, following the praetor as the pair left the training grounds in the Fields of Mars to attain the banks of the Little Tiber opposite the Caldecott Tunnel. Once the pair arrived at the entrance, they saw Juno standing tall next to a blonde boy that appeared to be the same age as Percy. His blue eyes and hair color distinguished him clearly as a son of Apollo.

Reyna advanced towards the boy, clad intimidatingly in her purple praetor robes dotted with the various medals she had won. She smirked inwardly as she considered Percy's lack of decorum; the powerful demigod typically wore his praetor robes thoroughly unassumingly, often styling them as a sort of cape. He far preferred typical clothes, most often choosing to sport a hoodie, or, if it was warm like it was now, a tank. It made him far more approachable than her.

She bowed to Juno, "Lady Juno, it is an honor."

The goddess smirked, "Rise, praetor. This demigod has been brought by the gods. He is a son of Apollo, and he must become a probationary legionnaire."

Reyna knew exactly what was going on, and she could see Juno knew that as well.

"Of course, Lady Juno," she replied. "Come, follow me."

She gestured to the blonde demigod, and as they turned to lead towards the barracks, Juno disappeared in a flash of light.

Will Solace followed Reyna down the path towards the barracks, and the praetor showed him to his temporary room he would occupy temporarily until a cohort claimed him. They planned to have the claiming occur once Percy and his group returned from the mission to find and eliminate the gorgons.

A few hours later, the legionnaires gathered in the Field of Mars to welcome the newest member of the legion, Will Solace. Percy stood alongside Reyna, contemplating his former friend. He hadn't betrayed him like the rest of the Greek camp, but he didn't know what Will believed out of the lies told by the rest of the camp. Percy decided to stay away from Will until he regained his memories.

"Legionnaires!" called Reyna. "Today, we have a new recruit to the legion, brought by the gods! Will Solace, son of Apollo, shall be a probationary legionnaire. Who wishes to back this?"

"I back this," announced a voice among the Fifth Cohort. A slightly chubby Asian boy moved to the front of his cohort. He was the one to have given Will the tour around camp. His name was Frank Zhang, and he was a son of Mars that specialized in archery. Percy nodded imperceptibly; it was a good choice: as a Fifth Cohort member, Will would not have very high expectations and would be able to connect with everyone in camp as he moved up in the ranks to gain their confidence. If he could find allies in people with similar interests that have potential, such as Frank, he could accomplish the gods' wishes much easier.

"Very well," Reyna said. "We welcome probationary legionnaire Will Solace to the Fifth Cohort!"

Loud cheering went up among the Fifth Cohort members as Will moved off the stage to join them. The legionnaires disbanded and left towards their barracks. Reyna leaned over towards Percy and spoke, "What do you think about his placement?"

"As a Fifth Cohort member, he has room to move up while getting into the confidence of everyone, not just one cohort," Percy answered. "Probably the best place he could've gone. Now, he just needs to prove himself."

Reyna nodded, "You're right… Maybe the gods will assign him another mission to lead which gives him an opportunity to impress the entire camp."

Percy paused, "Yeah. Perhaps a mission to free Thanatos or maybe one to free the Doors of Death?"

"Shit," Reyna said loudly. "We don't even know where any of those are except that one side of the Doors of Death are in _Tartarus_, of all places. I definitely do not want to be in Will's shoes."

Percy shrugged, "Meh; he'll probably get a hint for Thanatos, although I agree that the Doors of Death are extremely worrisome."

She nodded and turned away, taking a few steps before halting and calling back, "Oh, and Percy. If you want to avoid contact, just take a few of your First Cohort members on various expeditions to track down notable monsters and eliminate them."

Percy turned away, staying quiet and contemplating his options. He sighed and looked up at the constellation of the Hunter, Zoe's constellation, as the night fell. It was one of the last connections to his past life as the son of Poseidon, and always aided him to think more clearly. _What should I do?_ he thought sadly. _When they come here, should I be infuriated against those that did nothing? Or should I attempt to communicate with people like Clarisse, who were absent during the betrayals and probably would not have followed that piece of shit_. He sighed and began walking dejectedly towards his room, unable to come to a decision.

A few days later, Camp Jupiter held one of its war games. Will had ingratiated himself along with Frank Zhang and Nico's sister, Hazel Levesque, in the Fifth Cohort. Without Percy playing for the First Cohort, this war game was a chance for Percy and Reyna to assess the capabilities of the legion in light of the coming war.

Surprisingly, through the innovative archery of Will, the Fifth Cohort led the Third and Fourth Cohorts into the fortress, an occurrence that had not happened since before the Titan War, when Jason was still part of the Fifth Cohort. Unfortunately for the lower cohorts, the well-trained First Cohort managed to beat down all three cohorts back while the defending the inner fortress once the Second Cohort fell outside.

Percy was pleasantly surprised; Reyna was impressed at the originality executed by the Greek demigod – they had come incredibly close to defeating the invincible First Cohort. Then, there was a roar of anger. Percy immediately flamed to the location, only to see an enraged Will, bow out, arrow cocked and ready aimed at a member of the Second Cohort – Percy recognized him as one of Octavian's former lackeys.

"What happened here?" he asked roughly. Will answered, voice shaking in rage, "This coward stabbed Gwen in the back after the game ended."

Gwen, centurion of the Fifth Cohort, was lying on the ground, a gladius of the Second Cohort sticking out of her back. She was clearly dead, and Percy noticed Will's target lacking his gladius.

"Is this true?" Percy growled. Octavian's former lackey shook in fear, stammering, "No – sir – this is – this is but a misunderstanding!"

"Misunderstanding? A centurion is dead, you _fool_, and you are the cause!"

Eyes glowing with power, Percy tore into the demigod's mind, easily finding his memory of the incident. Moments later he pulled out brutally, shaking his head in disgust.

"You desecrate the name of our noble Roman ancestors – you are not worthy to be a legionnaire."

As Percy reached for Anaklusmos, prepared to plunge his blade through this murderer's heart, prepared to enact justice, Gwen suddenly stirred. Wide-eyed, Percy watched as the gladius somehow slipped out of her fatal wound, which then began sealing itself up. Moments later, Gwen rolled over, eyes blinking open wearily, "What's going on?"

She looked around and saw everyone looking at her with their jaws slacked, "Why is everyone looking at me?"

Percy just gaped; Octavian's lackey had fallen down in panic, his eyes wide open in fear. Reyna looked stunned and unable to process the situation. Various demigods stared at her in disproportionate amounts of surprise. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light ignited the Field of Mars, the telltale sign of a god teleporting. Instantly, everyone turned away, eyes closed, in order to prevent from being burnt to crisp. When the light dissipated, in front of the Roman legionnaires stood Mars.

He stood ten feet tall, dressed in Canadian Forces desert camouflage. He radiated confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a flat-topped wedge. His face was angular and brutal, marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from inside. He wore a utility belt with a sidearm, a knife holster, and several grenades. In his hands was an oversized M16 rifle.

Everyone began kneeling in turn, even Reyna dismounting her Pegasus. One person didn't kneel. Percy stood, a small smirk on his face as he looked at the Roman aspect of his least favorite – former least favorite god. Poseidon held that title now. Inwardly he prayed to Hera, _Mom, can I reveal my identity to him? I haven't had a challenging fight in ages, and I'll be revealing myself to everyone soon_. A few moments later, Hera replied, _Of course. I'll be watching your fight_.

Mars looked quite pleased at the many kneeling demigods. He looked around confidently before his gaze fell on a blonde demigod with cold brown eyes who was looking at him with amusement. He stood straight, almost challenging the Roman god with his posture, as if he knew him. Mars was puzzled; if he had been Ares, he would've immediately attacked him, but Mars was more reserved, more tactical. Demigods were below his attention anyways, this one had no business standing up to him.

"Why aren't you kneeling, demigod?"

Percy's smirk grew wider, "Ares – or Mars, as you go here – it's nice to see you again."

He manipulated his powers and revealed his striking raven-haired figure, eyes flaming pits of brown and gray with a sea-green band surrounding them. As gasps rippled through the crowd at his indiscretion, Mars actually stumbled back in shock.

"You?" he whispered hoarsely. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Percy chuckled darkly and spread his arms widely, as if greeting an old friend, "Clearly, I'm not. How's the ankle by the way – I never did get to hear your gratitude for me freeing you from his control."

The legionnaires were utterly silent, looking wide-eyed at their praetor, who seemed to know Mars. Reyna, who knew quite well how these two knew each other, watched them with trepidation, anxious to avoid a fight between the two.

"You know how much they've mourned you in Olympus?" Mars finally hissed. "The war – do you know?"

Percy's gaze hardened, "You never were the brightest one – of course I know. And I don't care."

Mars' eyes narrowed, "Don't tell me you came back the same way she did?" He gestured at the silent, gaping Gwen. "Or," a horrified look crossed his face. "Did you ally with _her_?"

Percy laughed, "Mars – it's none of your business. Why don't you ask one of these wonderful legionnaires about my presence in the legion?"

The god looked warily at the still awestruck crowd before narrowing his eyes once again at Percy.

"Answer me, in the name of Olympus! I came here because Jupiter had an important message–"

"Still a daddy's boy, I see," Percy smirked in delight at Mars' incredible growing fury. "Tell him I'm not with her; that's all you need to say if it gets to that point."

Mars shook with rage, form flickering angrily between his Roman form and Ares. Finally, his Roman form won out, and he clenched his fists.

"I don't care if you're the Saviour of Olympus, punk. I never did get to repay you for that ankle injury you gave me years ago. Your insolence was unwarranted; Kronos won't stop me from killing you this time!"

The watching legionnaires trembled at the raw power and anger exuded from Mars, most of them still confused by his words. Percy narrowed his eyes, lips thinning, "You don't know what I am now – what they did to me changed me, _Mars_."

He smirked and unleashed his aura. Instantly, waves of power rippled out from him, equivalent to the raw energy released by the godly being opposing him. Reyna and Piper's eyes both widened dramatically; they'd known he was powerful, Piper especially after his incredible display before, but they'd never imagined it would be equal to a god. The crowd of legionnaires still kneeling felt crushed under the raw outpouring of energies from Percy and Mars, all of them awed that their praetor matched a god in power.

Percy laughed wickedly and flipped open Anaklusmos, igniting the blade with Greek fire dancing across the celestial bronze, flames dripping off the end of the infamous sword. Mars' eyes widened, but his rifle shimmered into the massive sword he'd wielded against Percy years before. The god's lips turned up slightly in the corner in a mockery of a smile as he looked at Percy.

"I'm impressed, punk, but you don't have water around you this time… Fire is a poor replacement."

Percy cocked an eyebrow, "Do you feel it? My power rivaling yours? It's been years since I've had a true challenge. I never did think you would be interested in how I control fire, but now I don't need water to get rid of you."

"It doesn't matter – I'm going to enjoy humiliating you."

With a roar, Mars leapt forward, brandishing his sword violently. His immense strength and rash charge caught Percy unawares; the demigod barely brought up Anaklusmos in time to deflect the blow, but staggered back regardless. Taking advantage of his lack of balance, Mars pressed forward, swinging and slashing rapidly at speeds no one would expect from someone his size. Percy was forced on the defensive, not even trying to match the god's superior strength. He was moving as quickly as he could, knocking Mars' larger blade away from himself instead of attempting to outright block him.

Slowly, Percy's superior skill began showing, and with a deft flick, he knocked Mars' sword aside on a particularly brutal overhead strike, using the opening to spin behind the unbalanced god and slashing a thin line down his back as Mars tried to turn and block him. The god roared in anger as drops of ichor began falling from the shallow wound on his back before it was cauterized by the Greek fire enveloping Anaklusmos.

Mars was beyond enraged; somehow the whelp had become strong enough to fight on par with him without even using his powers! Narrowing his eyes, Mars drew upon his godly speed and strength, now appearing merely a blur as he slashed and sliced at Percy, who weaved at incredible speeds through the rapid, incessant barrage of strikes. However, Mars did not relent; his superior endurance gave him an upper edge, and fury ignited from the wound on his back made him even faster.

Percy was astounded; Mars was an incredible fighter, reminding him sadly of Atlas. He was far better than Ares, who relied merely on brute strength to win, and it was beginning to cost him. Even with his incredible endurance compared to normal demigods, Mars was a god – a notch above him no matter what. This bitter thought grasped him as he tried to maintain his frenetic pace as he danced with the Roman God of War, blades clashing in an epic grudge match.

The legionnaires stared, transfixed, at the pure skill displayed by the god and their praetor. Reyna and Piper had always known Percy was on another level compared to them, but it was still awed them that he was going toe to toe with one of the most deadly gods.

The incessant dance between god and demigod continued, neither finding a hole in each other's defenses, both master swordsmen. Minutes passed, and Percy's energy slowly began to fade. He could feel his muscles ache, straining against the inhuman efforts he was imprinting on them. He felt himself slow, and he knew it was inevitable that Mars would defeat him. In a last burst of energy, Percy met Mars' blade full on, pouring all of his waning strength into this arms. Their swords met, both pressed hard as they tried to force the other to admit defeat. Mars knew he could not allow this upstart demigod defeat him in a show of strength, so he roared and channeled all his strength, pushing forward violently against Anaklusmos.

A brief smirk flitted across Percy's face as he suddenly spun away the moment he felt Mars tense up offensively. The god, caught completely unawares, stumbled forward, losing his center of balance. Quick as lightning, Percy turned around fully and stabbed Anaklusmos into Mars' stomach, his sword piercing straight through the god. The watching legionnaires gasped in shock; had their praetor killed a god? However, their gasp was drowned out by an inhuman roar that seemed to shake the heavens themselves.

Mars stood, ichor dripping from where the sword had gone through his skin. Fury and hatred the likes he had never felt before stirred within him as he glared at the demigod who dared humiliate him in front of his Romans. He roared once more, violently ripping out Percy's sword from his stomach as ichor poured out freely. Holding Anaklusmos in his left hand and his own sword in his right, he swung at an unarmed Percy, whose eyes showed traces of fear and anger for once. The war god refused to admit defeat. Dodging Mars' first swing, Percy raised a wall of fire in preparation for his second one. In his haste, he forgot Mars now possessed Anaklusmos. The god easily passed through the wall of flames using his own godly powers and struck Percy in the neck.

Reyna and Piper watched hauntingly as the sword bounced off his neck, but the force of the impact sent Percy flying thirty feet away, where he crumpled into the ground, screaming in pain. Mars had a satisfied smile on his face, but the Roman legionnaires just stared in shock and horror. Their praetor should have been beheaded, but his sword had bounced off his skin as if it were rubber. Then, the greatest shock struck.

Percy stirred, barely grasping to his consciousness after getting violently hit by Mars using his own sword. The god had truly intended to kill him, as without the blessing of the Styx, he would be dead, without a head. After all he had done, this fool of a god dared to kill him in a friendly spar after he had lost? Rage fueled him as the air around him condensed into barely visible liquid, as it instantly recharged his energy. His aching muscles and bruised neck stopped throbbing with pain; he felt refreshed, like a breath of cool air had flowed through his body.

He lifted himself off the ground where he had been knocked so unceremoniously. Aware of the awestruck expressions of the watching legionnaires, the illusion covering Percy's eyes dissipated completely, his piercing brown-gray eyes flaming in anger. Fury rose within him as his eyes glowed with power, his aura amplifying to levels beyond even Mars. Said god took a step back, slightly fearful as Percy Jackson seemed to return to full strength after taking a free blow to the neck that would have killed any normal person, knocked him out for weeks at the very least.

Percy stood, power emanating from his form. He bared his teeth at Mars and instantly called Anaklusmos to himself, now that it was left on the ground unpossessed. His hand slid comfortably around the hilt of his sword, and he charged towards the god. Mars raised his sword horizontally to block the expected overhead strike, but Percy quickly faked to the right, using the condensing water in the air to propel him forward at incredible speeds. He slashed his sword through Mars' stomach, almost slicing the god in half.

Quick as lightning, however, Mars turned and tried to smash Percy in the back, but his speed was too much. Percy pulled away, dodging the slice, and began sparring once more with the war god, except this time his inhuman speed aided by the water in the air allowed him a distinct advantage, as more and more small scratches appeared on Mars' body, ichor dripping from everywhere, pouring from the large hole in the side of his stomach.

Mars roared in pain finally and fell to his knees, and Percy looked down at him derisively, filled with the need to end the god who had been his enemy for as long as he had entered this world.

"So Mars," he mocked. "You sure showed me my place. Even after you lose to me, you break the rules of honor to strike me so… I should send you to Tartarus for your actions today. I wonder what Jupiter will do when he finds out what I did?"

Percy circled around him, fascinated at the sight of Mars' ichor running into the Field of Mars itself. The irony was not lost on him. The legion was utterly still in shock at the events unfolding in front of them.

"Such a shame the Titans can't get their revenge on you while you're down there… And that no god will be willing to do anything – except Aphrodite, but I'm sure she'll cut her losses if I make a certain few – ah – _suggestions_."

Mars coughed up some ichor, then looked up at the demigod that had made his life miserable since he had been introduced to their world with unadulterated hatred.

"Do your worst," he rasped. "You need me to fight _her_."

"What makes you so sure?" Percy smirked. "You can't even defeat a puny demigod, what makes you think you can take on the giants and Lady Earth herself? I think you're just as worthless as Mr. D is – don't worry, I'll get to him too eventually."

Before Mars could reply, he ripped into his mind, taking advantage of Mars being near unconscious and incredibly weak to overpower him and see what message Jupiter meant to impart to him. Percy learned of the mission and pulled out roughly. Running his finger lovingly along Anaklusmos' blade, through the thick golden ichor coating it, filled with an insatiable bloodlust awakened once more, Percy raised his sword and plunged it down.


End file.
